A Two-Breakfast Household

Every morning, I prepare two versions of breakfast.

Big Bear wants a Korean breakfast—a steamy bowl of fluffy bap with savory seaweed soup. Little Lion, my American boy, insists on pancakes, sausage, apples, and eggs. Ever since he could communicate—even around sixteen months—he has made it very clear that breakfast, in his mind, means pancakes or waffles.

In the beginning, it was actually very cute. Little Lion would plead, “Waafle, mommy,” with his wide dark eyes and obvious dimples. I happily took on this extra catering duty. Now, I suspect this habit is here to stay.

Big Bear, on the other hand, has eaten a Korean breakfast for as long as she can remember. She likes it. She loves the warmth and fullness it leaves in her belly. She might nibble on a pancake for a moment and declare she’s full. I know that can’t be true, because less than five minutes later she asks if she can please have a proper Korean breakfast with seaweed soup.

So here we are.

I sometimes wonder if I should fight this battle—insist that everyone agree on one breakfast menu. But then I think: if they’re getting the nutrition they need in the morning, does it really matter how they eat it?

M that’s what parenting between cultures looks like in everyday life. Not grand decisions, but small negotiations at the breakfast table. A bowl of bap on one side, a stack of pancakes on the other—still one family, even if we prefer different breakfasts.

In our house, both belong.

For now, we are simply a two-breakfast family.