My son’s fourth birthday was this week, so of course we baked him a cake to celebrate.  This year, he was old enough to pick out his own flavor, and unfortunately for us, it was strawberry.  My husband and I gave each other sad looks, knowing we were going to hate his choice but wanting to support him in making his own decision.

I did manage to talk him out of putting meatballs and pepperoni on his cake, but we compromised by adding strawberries on top of a buttercream frosting, topping the whole thing with one of those cheap candles shaped like a “4.”

The whole family (minus the newborn, who is still in the nonstop sleep phase) got together to make the cake, which made it seem even more special.  The two older kids took turns adding ingredients, and then stirring the batter until it got too thick for them.  They both enjoyed licking the spoon afterward too, something you get to do when you raise your own eggs.

Feeling pessimistic about the whole thing, hubby and I took miniscule slices and sat down to eat with the kids and Grandma.  Surprisingly enough, all three of us adults actually liked the flavor.  It was not artificial tasting, like some strawberry foods can be.  In fact, I liked it enough to go for a second slice, and the kids probably would have gobbled up the entire thing if we had let them.

I guess we learned the lesson we harp on our kids about: Don’t knock it ‘til you try it!