My boys cook for me now. They are on rotation so they each cook once a month. We love it and dinners are still such an important time for connection. They are all well and truly grown up but we are still all in one house as they have gone and returned for various reasons. We know this time is short so we’re enjoying every dinner we get.
Discussion
that's so sweet :)
how did they get their start with helping in the kitchen? I want to make sure my boys are raised knowing how to cook and way around the kitchen. it's such an important life skill
I included them in most of the process. We made the tough decision to forgo two incomes which allowed me to really spend time with our boys. So, every trip to the grocery store we they chose a different fruit to try. They helped with baking which was brilliant for teaching math and science, they helped create a menu. When we moved from Canada to New Zealand we were really financially struggling and ended up doing a lot of Indian cooking (potatoes, lentils, onions, flatbread) super cheap but so tasty, so the learned how to use spices. I think just letting them be a part of the whole thing helped them take ownership of food. And lots of trying new things.
how old were they when you started?
Hmmm hard to recall, but I have memories of them sitting on the kitchen counter yet so they could see me, so maybe 1? Mixing baking ingredients was before hot stovetop cooking but they watched. We spent a bit of time sailing when we had our first son, and I can still see him sitting in his car seat in the galley watching me. His favourite easy boat food was garlic and black bean couscous instant cups. He still has wild tastebuds!
ahh okay, so it's about time to start! taro just turned one. he can stand pretty well holding onto stuff. I'm thinking about getting a toddler tower for the kitchen counter.