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sf[_9_] sf[_9_] is offline
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Default Slate: "How young can a child be and still learn how to cook?"

On Tue, 15 May 2012 16:09:51 -0700 (PDT), Lenona >
wrote:

> (Offhand, I didn't see this article in this group.)
>
> http://www.slate.com/articles/life/f....single.htm l
>
> First 2/5 or so:
>
> By Nicholas Day - Posted Thursday, March 1, 2012, at 8:30 AM ET
>
> If this article ends abruptly, it is because the child welfare
> authorities are at the door: A preschooler in our house is chopping
> carrots.
>
> A few weeks ago in the New York Times, a mother wrote about how her
> sons, ages 10 and 14, each cook dinner one night a week. It was a
> lovely story, but instead of reading it and thinking, OK—only seven
> more years, I thought, I can do better than that.
>
> My son may be only 3, and barely 3, but he already wants to cook
> dinner. There’s a surprising amount he can accomplish in the kitchen:
> wash vegetables, destem mushrooms, crack eggs, knead dough, consume
> enormous quantities of said dough. But he wants to do more. This is
> logical: The kitchen is where we spend the most time, and like any
> child, he can sense what his parents are excited about. He wants to
> cook because we care about cooking. I want him to cook for the same
> reason. I’m not pushing him; he’s pushing himself.
>
> I’m not talking about the saffron-foaming, Iron Chef sort of kids’
> cooking. When I need help in the kitchen, it is rarely because the
> saffron needs foaming. I’m talking about the actual work of getting
> dinner on the table.
>
> You are cringing. I can see you cringing from here. You are thinking:
> This is a very, very bad idea.


I'm not cringing. I didn't assign nights for my kids to cook, but
they often took on weekend breakfasts for themselves without any
prompting. I clearly remember that my oldest was 10 when we got our
first breakfast in bed. My husband and I slept in that morning and we
awoke to them bringing us breakfast in bed (I had trays) that was
bacon, eggs (over easy) and hash browns made from raw potatoes. Both
kids are terrific cooks as adults, but I didn't push them into taking
on any of the responsibilities of making a meal - they did what they
did on their own (or by helping me). I only wanted them to be able to
follow simple recipes on their own - like the Toll House cookie recipe
on that bag of chocolate chips.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.