Rice Krispy Commercial

03.22.2010

I was watching TV this afternoon while taking a break from an asinine project due in one of my classes and a commercial came on for rice krispies. It was the one where the mother and her two daughters make rice krispy balls, dip them in chocolate, and then dip them into different kinds of sprinkles. I always recoil at all the artificial foods in front of them but that will be a discussion for another day.

The commercial has its intended effect on me with the faded image of the 3 of them and an almost “long ago feel” as soft music plays and the mother playfully talks with her girls. It’s all about developing memories with your children and, of course, rice krispy cereal is the perfect caveat to make that happen. It tugs at your heart because you sit there and reminisce about all those times you baked with your own mother. Though, I never really baked with my mother, I certainly have similar memories that the commercial brings to the surface.

I’ve seen this particular commercial several times but this time I looked at it focusing on the mother who is, most likely, a stay-at-home mom and is taking the time to cook with her girls. Part of me became so jealous because I wish that that’s all I wanted out of life. I wished that I wished for simplicity. I’ve lived my entire life with such complexity and often make my life more difficulty than it has to be and this particular habit doesn’t always work in my favor. I wish that I could learn to live my life a little more plain, a little more…less. I think part of is because I just don’t know how to relax; I never did and so this is a constant battle. And I worry that a child will make me even more anxious. I’ve heard that parents find themselves wanting to be the best individuals they can be when they bring a child into their world and I’m freaking out that I’m already not the best while giving it my all now. I can only see this pressure I put on myself increasing. How do parents (especially women) deal with the pressures of trying to be perfect and managing the simplicity of living in the moment versus constantly focusing on the possibilities of tomorrow or lack thereof?