Coffee

The topic of "coffee" has been coming up
around the house by the two youngest yahoos.

"What does it taste like?", they've wondered.

Now, nearly everyone who knows us,
knows we're Mormons.
And being Mormons,
well, we abide a principle called
"The Word of Wisdom"--
based on a revelation given from our Heavenly Father
to Joseph Smith
and recorded in
The Doctrine and Covenants,
Section 89.

I learned the WoW when I joined the Church
as a young teenager.
I'd been raised in a home with every substance
that the WoW declares as un-healthy--
coffee
tea
alcohol
cigarettes
harmful drugs--
all of it.
I'd seen the adverse affects,
mainly addiction and sickness--
up close.
So when I was told it would be wise for me to avoid those things,
it was a no-brainer
and I never looked back.

So the yahoos haven't been around
any of that in our home,
ever.
I can't recall if the oldest yahoos ever even
asked about coffee,
but lately the youngest two have
for whatever reasons.
It could be commercials for Micky D's
caramel-chocolate-mocha-something
(which to me sounds like alot of sugar
in a small cup of coffee)
or seeing Starbucks every which way.
Or that both their teachers drank coffee last year,
and even some kids came to class with their
Starbucks cups.
I don't know.

But, about two weeks ago,
I told the Caboose that the next time we went out to eat,
I'd let her order a cup of coffee.
Hey, the stuff is so awful,
it's FREE in most places,
so after careful thought--
and I mean ALOT of careful, logical thought,
I told her she could try it.

Last night,
with just the youngest two home
while Daisie is away on Trek,
we went out to dinner.
The place was pretty much empty,
our waitress was just filling up sugar jars,
so I asked her to bring two cups
one-third filled with coffee.
I even told her that the kids had never tried it,
so this was a first for them.

She was so helpful--
she said she'd even put on a fresh pot
for us.

So within minutes,
here came the two piping hot cups of coffee.
She also brought out little cups of half-n-half
and lots of little sugar packets.

The yahoos had to let it cool for a few more minutes,
and while that was going on,
we talked about the
Word of Wisdom with them.
And hey,
even the waitress was listening!
So that was kinda cool.

Mr. W. who used to love coffee before we met
suggested they taste it straight up first.
The Boofus took a tiny sip and said he liked it.
Then the Caboose used a spoon to sip from
and also declared it wasn't too bad.

I asked them,
"Why do you think Heavenly Father would tell us
not to drink coffee?"
The Caboose answered,
"Because it's so good, He wants it all for him self!"
We just died laughing.
A minute later I asked, to Boofus,
"Why do you think the prophets would tell us it's
not good for us?"
He replied, smiling,
"Because they want it all."
Ugh.
Smarty pants.

We let them add whatever they wanted to it,
to "doctor" it up to taste.
Into their cups went 2 little things of creamer,
and one-
no two-
no two-and-a-half packets of sugar.
Remember,
their cups are barely 1/3 full.

After they'd added what was available to that little cup,
tried their concoctions, then
pushed their cups aside and were done.

How much did they drink?
According to Boofus,
his tastes added up to "a gulp";
while The Caboose said hers added up to
"a whole spoonful."

Boofus said he'd like to try his with some flavorings
like "gingerbread" or "Peppermint"--
acknowledging that it's the flavorings that would make
the coffee taste better.
And then, realized he can do that with hot cocoa,
which tastes better than coffee to start with.
Logic works.

And that was that.

I'm a convert.
I had to make the same choice--
it seems logical to me that exposing them to such
a simple thing as coffee
will help them feel empowered by their own choice
to understand the Word of Wisdom on the lowest level
so that when it comes to the more powerful things
like alcohol and drugs,
they will know from experience that it's not going to be
a pleasant experience
no matter whose advertising it
or pushing them to indulge.

Will my yahoos turn into coffee-drinkin-fiends?
Will they think that by giving them permission to try coffee
that they have permission to try the other things like cigarettes or alcohol?

Well, I don't believe so.
We used the experience as a teaching moment,
and got the exact results I was certain we would.
Coffee is no longer a mystery to them.
Just as birth is not a "giggle-giggle" to my children.
It's knowledge.
And I read that when you're honest with your kids about stuff,
at appropriate ages,
they'll be able to trust you more as a parent.
N' so far, that has worked for me.

Any thoughts??

P.S. I should've added that Mr W and I talked with the yahoos about the fact that it really isn't the taste of coffee
that most people are addicted to, but the addictive substances. And there are many many people all over the world that can't even start their day without coffee and drink it throughout the day to keep them going.
Tasting it confirmed that to them. Afterwards, they both commented on the "bitterness" and the "blah-ness" (according to the Caboose)...so that point was made.  Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to be strong and healthy, thus the Word of Wisdom.