Cooking

i cooked a chicken dinner at 9 years old. I was SO proud. My mother coached me through it. My mom was a stay home mom but she taught me as I worked beside her.

What a great topic

For me when all of them were little i was home, i didn't start going back to work until a few yrs ago. And even now it's an as needed basis, p/t per case!

With all that aside even when they were young i felt since i had 4 under 19 mths they pretty much had to self sufficent to a point!

And looking back really yes i am their mother i love them to death!!!!! We talk about their most deepest feeling and yes i cook but at age 9 they new how to push down the thing on the toaster and put jam on their toast! They knew oatmeal took 150 sec in the micro and new how to press the buttons, and also knew how to make their own lunch if it was not done yet!

I am their MOTHER! i am here for whatever they need! Emotional, spiritual, homework, i'll wash your clothes, i can do it all, BUT so can hired help!
If you(kids) are playing on a computer and their are 8 loads of wash that need to be done, then you are taking advantage of my role as your mother!

I love you more then you can ever imagine! But that does not mean i will be your maid! 9 is old enough to start learning how to start using the cooking appliances the oven that me personally would wait! Too young! But stove soup fine!

atlasshrugged said:

I have a daughter who will be 11 in March and a son who will be 10 in March. I remember my mom started teaching me to make simple things when I was 10 and my daughter's best friend who turned 11 in August fixes dinner once a week for her family. What she fixes is also generally something pretty simple like she may make grilled cheese sandwiches and canned soup or something like that.

For both my mom and my daughter's best friend's mom, it was and is kind of necessary since my mom worked and so does the best friend's mom. I don't work and generally have plenty of time to fix dinner.

Here's my thing though. I don't want either of my kids to move out of the house or go off to college or whatever without being able to fix themselves even the most basic things for themselves. Both my kids seem to be a lot less mature than I was at that age or the best friend is now.

At what age do you guys think it's a good idea to start showing them how to operate the microwave, toaster oven, stove, etc...?

Click to expand...

I started mine as soon as they could stand on a chair & reach the bench tops. They enjoyed putting things like flour, sugar milk into a cup & pouring it into a mixer. Supervised of course. Even at 2/3 a child can butter their bread & make a sandwhich with a little help. By 6/7 all mine could make a simple meal like baked beans on toast or toasted sandwiches. Pizza, tacos, hamburgers, salad are all easy next steps & by 10/11 mine could cook meat & 3 veg with a dessert. I taught them because I loathe having to cook every night & it was a survival skill. All mine are great cooks. The daughter serving on the mission field in Chile regularly blesses her team mates with one of our speciality dishes. The sailor was a blessing on his boat because he knew how to cook on board & one works in hospitality in a fancy tourist destination but on Christmas Day he was making our speciality pancakes for mates. Everyone has to eat. Knowing how to do it well never goes amiss.

I grew up much like CelticRose mentions. My mom taught us bits and pieces, and expected by the time we were between Kindergarten and 2nd grade to be able to fix our own fruit, cereal and sandwiches at the very least. Cookies with help (reading directions, mixing and baking part).

By the time I was in 6th grade, I was able to bake and cook, as well as go shopping on my own for ingredients. I had to also. My mom was very ill with several health concerns and I had to help out. I learned how to make chicken then, simply running back and forth while she was in bed ill, and we worked it out.

Right now my 3 year old is insisting on watching almost everything I bake and cook being made. So, we sidle up a chair to the stove or counter, and he gets to watch, but not mix when it's on the stove. (I'm terrified he might fall and pull the hot stuff on him) He's not yet at a point I can really show him how to make sandwiches or anything like that yet, but he knows where the fruit and cereal is, as well as his dishes if he was hungry enough. I just know how he is with sharp instruments, and our fridge is constructed with the freezer on the bottom, so he can't really reach the bottom shelf to get his own things. If he climbed in there, it'd be terrible. I prefer him asking for help at this juncture.

However, as the interest is there, I try to find ways to get his help.

DH never learned to bake or cook until we were married, and he was well into his 20s. I'm finding out now he doesn't know basic things I grew up learning. His parents literally did every little thing from the laundry to the kitchen, and even decorating and cleaning. He went through almost 30 years of his only care for himself being basic cleanliness and knowing how to shop and do cup-a-noodle type meals.

I remember when my mom wasn't so sick, it was fun to have set aside time to learn how to make basic desserts and breakfast items.

Now's the perfect time.

Any age is a good age to learn the proper use of the kitchen. You have to keep it age- appropriate, of course. A good way to begin teaching them if they don't know much is to have them help you whenever you're in there. Give them a task, show them how to do it, and let them go to town on it. Along with simple meals, show them the basics of how to read a recipe, fry an egg, hold a knife, wash a pan, etc. There's so much to learn in there that goes beyond opening a can of soup and microwaving. It's like a classroom.

My children have always cooked with me. Granted they are almost 8, 6 1/2 and 4. (my four year old just likes to stir everything. lol My soon to be 8 year old has just started a recipe book for herself and my 6 yr old loves to help me make anything. I think it's great if they start to cook with you.