Enough Is As Good As a Feast

It never occurred to me that Auntie Mame might've been the best flipping parent ever until I had kids of my own, and remembered the gems that would drop out of her mouth - specifically "You've had enough, and enough is as good as a feast."

Enough IS as good as a feast. You get what you want and need, and don't feel gorged and gluttonous after. Even better, you maintain some dignity and decorum - you don't look like Augustus Glut slurping chocolate from the river like a manic chocolate pig.

I think that in the labor and delivery classes, when they show you the horror show movies about what is going to happen to your body during labor, and they show you the movies on how to take care of that small human when you get it home......they should also have Auntie Mame night.

Just to remind you that some dignity and grace will carry that child a long way - but that they have to get it FROM YOU.

A case in point from the modern world........EASTER EGG HUNTS.

(please note the kid who has been KNOCKED DOWN in the photo above)

Now, I'd like to first mention that I don't subscribe to the "Oh let's give everyone a certificate and ALL BE WINNERS" sort of bullshit. I don't believe in false rewards. But - I also believe that there is a fine line between competition and greed - and just as we don't allow celebrations in the NFL without penalty....we should teach our children that you need to succeed with class.

For the past couple of years at my mom's group Easter egg hunt, there's been this spoiled yuppie mentality of "GET ALL THE EGGS YOU CAN SCREW THE OTHER KIDS!". You'd see kids with 10 eggs, and kids with literally 60 eggs, baskets overflowing and their parents just laughing about how cute it was.


It's not cute.



First and foremost it's not cute because Mommy and Daddy only contributed two dozen eggs to the hunt at our club. So you know, taking a LOT more than that, is kind of jerkwadish. But I don't need to split hairs and count eggs. And I realize my twins aren't going to get a "normal" amount of eggs because of being autistic they need help, and are slower etc. So, I'm really ok that my kids get a few less and your kids get a few more.
This lesson of not taking more than we "need" applies across all facets of our lives. Don't take more food at a buffet than you need - just to throw the leftovers away. It's wasteful. Don't waste energy, power.......natural resources.

Auntie Mame's words weren't just about small petty things. And Easter Egg hunts are one place that children can and do learn social expectations for their lives. A hour or two in a park, repeated yearly, teaches behavior lessons that are applied throughout other events.

What made me laugh this year was that I mentioned it at our club, this greedy taking of waaaaayyyy too many eggs. I could hear other parents shouting to their kids exactly the number of eggs they were allowed this year. Which cracked me up. They missed the point.

I brought three dozen eggs per kid. I dunno how many we brought home. Less than that. We got enough eggs to make three VERY happy little boys. After we had enough, we played at the park where the party was held and had a wonderful day.

We'd had enough. And it was as good as a feast.