Sopapilla Memories

Drama Queen and I, as any mother and teenage daughter, are either arguing or laughing...no in between. Lately, we'd been arguing more than laughing. I felt frustrated, like a wall slowly being built up between us, one neither could seem to break down.

So, I decided that the cure was sopapillas.

I do not like to cook by nature and skill (or really, lack of skill). However, there are a few things I love to make, especially with my kids. My daughter has a passion for it beyond even her father's joy of cooking.

Her and I's favorite thing to make together is cakes....and sopapillas. Sopapilla's are a family tradition in my household, started by my Grandpa and Grandma Murrillo. Some of my fondest memories are hanging out at their house while the smells of floured dough frying in the oil filled the house. Then the whiff of cinnamon sugar as they were promptly dripped off and dropped into the sugary goodness to be sweetened.

The pastries, memories, and time together worked.

My daughter has the funniest humor and sees life in such a dramatic and creative way. She's emotionally viewed, instead of logical. This is probably where we clash most of the time. But with sopapilla making, we both work in tandem.

I know that I can be hard on my kids and expect more from them than I should. I grew up quick and there wasn't a long time to be a kid. I sometimes forget that Hubby and I worked hard so that she and her siblings could take their time growing up and having a childhood.

Spending this kind of time with her helps me remember that not only do I need to let Drama Queen be herself, I need to let myself enjoy Drama Queen being herself.

She's okay. I'm okay. Her and I will be okay...and, of course, the sopapillas were yummy.