I don’t know how the subject came up, but I recently had a delightful discussion of parenting— and popcorn—with my younger son, Gideon.
We discovered that we both greatly enjoy the all-too-few half-popped kernels in the bottom of the microwave popcorn bag after all the perfectly fluffy popcorn pieces are gone. I think those half-popped kernels— the ones that open up just a bit—are the best part of the popcorn bag. I just love the crunch. The half-popped kernels have more substance and they absorb just enough salt and butter. I wish I could figure out how to pop a bag with more incomplete kernels.
Gideon agreed that the crunchy little kernels are the best part of the bag. And then he told me a story that warmed my heart.
He said he was finishing off a bag of popcorn—fishing for those tantalizing half-popped kernels—when his little girl, five-year-old Genevieve asked what he was doing. He said he explained that he really, really, liked those almost-popped pieces and of course, Genevieve then wanted to try them.
He reluctantly shared. I can just see him, his hand in the bag – ready to grab and crunch. But he did the right dad thing and shared the two or three halfpopped kernels with his little girl. And guess what—she likes them too. No surprise to me, of course.
But now that she knows how tasty the half-popped kernels are, Gideon will always have to share them. When I told him that, he shrugged and said, “Oh well, it’s part of being a dad.”
I feel bad that Gideon will likely never again get to eat a half-popped popcorn kernel— he has two more little girls who will also likely learn that those leftover seeds are delicious— so I’m sure there will be some fights in the future over who gets to finish the popcorn bag. I feel a little guilty when I pop my snack-sized popcorn and enjoy every last morsel all by myself.
Maybe we’ll invite everyone over for a popcorn party. I could sneak a few unpopped popcorn pieces to Gideon. He deserves a reward for being a good and generous dad, who realizes that sacrificing for your family is more important than a crunchy, salty, treat. To show a child what once delighted you, to find the child’s delight added to your own—this is happiness.
John Boynton Priestley
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