Feed me

The other morning, on a particularly lazy one, I did not quite get around to formally feeding my son breakfast.  He would not have gone hungry, for a while now, he has helped himself to cereal, everything is within easy reach, there is fruit in the bowl. He's 8.  However, on this particular morning, he was having none of this self-serve breakfast.  No way. He kept repeating how hungry he was.  I kept telling him to serve himself.

Finally, he put his head into his hands and wailed, "I'm just so hungry."

I reluctantly gave up on the book I was reading and ventured over to him. I held him in my arms and whispered into his ear.  "I could make you an egg, or kale chips or a sandwich. What would you like me to make you?  We could roast that squash we got?"

And just like that he calmed down, he wiped his eyes and apologized for "going all crazy".  "I am just hungry ", he explained.  That is when I realized, food alone does not always stop hunger, but being fed can.