Pearls for Your Children — Pot Roast Story
There was a child who was watching their mother prepare a pot roast for their traditional Sunday family dinner. The mother cut off the tips of the roast and put it into the pan. The child asked, “Why did you cut off the tips of the roast?” The mother replied, “That’s how my mother prepared it. She’s in the other room, why don’t you go and ask here.” The child then asked the grandmother, “How come when you prepare a roast you cut off the tips of the roast before you put it into the pan?” 
The grandmother replied, “Well, that’s how my mother did it. Why don’t you go ask her.” So, once again the child went to her great-grandmother and said, “I asked Mom and Grandma why they cut off the tips of the roast before they put it into the pan and they each told me to ask you.” “Well,” the great-grandmother said, “I don’t know why they are doing it…but I did it because the roast we bought always 10” in diameter but the pan we had was 8” in diameter”
Points to consider and ask your son or daughter:
Do you see our family as respecting the value of inquiry? Do you see us respecting your curiosity? Let them know you welcome their questions when asked with an intent to understand something that helps them think for themselves and make informed choices.
May 18th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
That anecdote was great, because it was truth. Often, I hear people say they do or believe something because, “that’s what my Daddy /Mommy taught me..” as if that is the gospel truth and never to be questioned. It’s also a convenient excuse for what is sometimes inexcusable behavior, like the perpetuation of abuse in a marital relationship. What it takes to stop the cycle is someone courageous and perceptive who may have learned a particular way, lesson, or belief from their parents, but know that it was not a productive or moral way or belief or behavior. That , to me, is truly admirable.
It’s good that the child asked his various relatives about that pot roast, to discover the origins of the family custom; maybe it was once practical, but no longer.