Friday, 12 November 2010
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My Kids are Cooking!
Most of you won't be able to relate to the fact that, for the last five years of my life, I've had a full-time cook. Let me qualify that by saying that I lived abroad in a third world country (a term, which is apparently politically incorrect these days) and that is the way it was done there. Then, I'll make you hate me a little more by saying how much I really enjoyed it.
This scenario all takes place in my children's formative years. When the majority of Americans (and possibly Europeans) are training their kids how to be valuable citizens and family contributors by having them do regular chores and including them in family meal preparation. Now, after five years overseas, living the surreal life, I'm back to reality! And my kids (all teenagers now) are learning that their clothes don't pick themselves up and food doesn't magically appear on their plates.
I did cook on holidays, particularly Thanksgiving and Christmas when I really wanted to feel American or wanted to avoid turkey with soy sauce or some other mutation thereof. But it was a nice break overall. I love to cook, but I hate HAVING to cook. I suppose I get cooker's block where I just can't figure out what to make that day or I just haven't properly planned ahead because life overwhelms me at times.
So my grand solution to this dilemma is a "learning by doing" (Montessori principal) sort of schedule for cooking. This involves everyone in my household taking a turn at cooking the evening meal. I purchased a little weekly calendar write-on/wipe-off board from Target and we all have a somewhat regular day each week to be the head chef of the family.
Thus far, my plan is working! The kids have been amazingly creative in the process. We've had breakfast for dinner, vegetarian dishes (as my oldest is becoming more health conscious), pastas and fish, but relatively few true flops! At times I serve as Kitchen Aide or am available for advice when asked. I've tried to encourage balance meals with fresh ingredients and, for the most part, this has been a raving success.Unlike me (who grew up with a home economics major stay-at-home mom, and who refused to have anything to do with cooking as a child, consequently having a steep learning curve after leaving home), my kids now have a practical skill which will hopefully give them basic (if not superior) survival skills and make them more marketable in the inevitable meat market that is dating.
One huge pitfall of this grand-plan is lack of preparation on my kids' part (i.e. waiting until the last minute to figure out what to make). I have asked them several times to look through the myriad of cookbooks that grace our shelves, decide on the weekend what they will make, and submit their grocery list via our newfangled shared grocery list, Grocery IQ. The probability (and reality) of that happening on a regular basis, without multiple reminders (or nagging, if you will) is pretty close to nil.
On the upside, I feel completely liberated when its my day to cook! I look forward to it and am happy to cook for guests because I rarely run out of ideas anymore! I also love helping my kids on their cooking days from time to time and I think it's a great family bonding experience.
How does everyone else incorporate cooking into family life? How did your parents do it? What has worked well and what hasn't? Please tell all!
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About the Author
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- From: chelleannette@xanga
- About Me: I'm an almost 40 mother of three teenagers, two crazy fat dogs and one husband. I live in and love New York City. In the last five years or so I've taken up French, shooting for eventual fluency and possibly picking up one day with the man after the kids are gone and moving it all to France. I also learned how to play tennis in the last few years and have, consequently become obsessed with the sport and acquired the delusion of playing on the WTA seniors tour or in a grand slam (Watch out Serena!) Living passionately, I want to see, smell, taste and feel the world through relationships, travel, food and whatever else life throws at me. Still waiting to discover what I want to be when I grow up!
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Comments (12)
I'm 22 years old. I still don't really cook much.
that's a lovely idea
What a great idea! My sister and I grew up helping in the kitchen, and so, it's really surprising to us how little our respective boyfriends know. Kids in the kitchen can be messy and sometimes more of a hindrance than a help, but it's worth teaching them young so they know what to do when they're off the mealplan.
It's really very good to hear that kids are cooking-It's really a very good work......
Ugh this is one thing I HATE about Arab women/Saudi culture. The majority of women in Saudi do not know how to cook, raise children, clean a home, etc. because they grew up with servants (mainly the oil generation) and expect servants when they get married. Pisses me off to no end. When King Fisher was a grad student, I tried to do all the cooking and cleaning since I was a home maker. I even sometimes cooked food before he got home on days that he had to a 6:00 PM class. I will do all the cooking and cleaning when I'm in King Fisher's country. We've both agreed not to bring servants into our home.
That's a very interesting things....I think they must have enjoyed this events.
sounds like a great idea. I've love to be able to encourage my teenage foster son to help in the kitchen!
@wintersun - I think it happens in India too and the Philippines - particularly in the middle/upper classes. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice break from HAVING to cook, but it really reminded me that I LIKE cooking, but not when I HAVE to, so this was a great option for me.
Right now, we're actually going through a period where my kids are getting a little lazy when it's their day to cook (i.e. no balanced meals, microwave food, etc). So I think we might be having a little "come-to-Jesus" meeting about how we all need to pull our weight so one of us doesn't go insane.
how to cook. It’s really great to hear that kids are cooking......
My kids love to cook...ages18.12.10 and 9. I love that they fight over who gets to cook.
It's really very good to hear that kids are cooking. It's really a very good work. I think they must have enjoyed this events.
I am really very happy to know that kids are cooking. It's a great work. Thanks a lot. Keep up the good works.