As Simple as a Bowl of Cheerios

My 13-year-old loves to eat cereal at our kitchen bar late at night. It’s a habit he picked up from his dad and something I try not to whine too much about. Especially since, on those random nights when I’m in the kitchen or reading on the couch at that time, we have some sweet, sloppy, mama-son conversations.

I hardly ever thought anything about it.

Until I listened to Oprah’s new book What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing and she said something that made me see those bowl-of-Cheerios moments in a whole new light.

It was a clip from an interview she did with a 7-year-old girl who had recently lost her mother to cancer.

Her parents had taken her and her brother on an epic road trip during the last few months of her mother’s life - an attempt to make long-lasting memories.

They had traveled to all kinds of beautiful places across the US to try to squeeze every last family togetherness moment out of her mom’s final days – no doubt traveling to some of the same breathtaking spots we like to travel with our families. The Grand Canyon. Zion & Arches. Joshua Tree National Park. Yellowstone & Yosemite.

But when Oprah asked this little girl what she remembered most about those last few months with her mom, she said one simple thing – that wherever they were, they liked to share a bowl of Cheerios and talk together every afternoon.

The little girl went on to say she loved the trips they took and all the things they saw, but when she thinks of her mom it’s sharing the bowl of Cheerios she remembers.

Just a bowl of Cheerios and a chat.

It was as simple as that.

🤯

We parents get excited about epic road trips, chasing big dreams, and going all-in on adventures of a lifetime with our kids.

And boy do I know this chase better than anyone with my penchant for world-schooling, national park adventures, and full-time family travel. It’s a great way to get out of our ruts and really see our kids – and it’s a great second chance at childhood for those of us who need it.

But isn’t it comforting to know that something as simple as sharing a bowl of Cheerios is where deep relationships happen?

I know I’m extra sensitive to this story from Oprah because I lost my mom to cancer, too.

And sure, deep down, I’m just a little girl trying to hold onto every last thing I loved about my mom – all those bowl-of-Cheerios moments (except for us, it was cups of coffee and Pillsbury orange cinnamon rolls).

But I also think this revelation can be freeing for those of us always trying to top our last experience with our kids.

Knowing that deep relationships happen in the simplest ways can set us free if we let it.

So, if you’ve been worried that you haven’t done enough for your family lately, that you don’t have the money right now for the big stuff, or that you simply can’t compare to all of those epic family adventurers you follow on Instagram, I hope this little article brings you some peace.

And makes your next bowl-of-Cheerios moment with our kiddo a little sweeter.

Want to share your family’s bowl-of-Cheerios wisdom?

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I can’t wait to hear about it!