Our Kids Aren’t Learning How to Cook!
Knowing how to cook is so important when it comes to saving money on food. It is all too common for people to not know how to prepare a simple meal from scratch, even something as simple as spaghetti. Add to that most people’s pathetic knowledge of how to put together a nutritious meal and we have ourselves a problem.
I was thinking about this the other day when my daughter had a little friend over to play. They are six years old and I was blown away by the difference between my daughter and her friend when it came to cooking skills. I have involved my kids in cooking since they were old enough to hold a spoon. They have been cracking eggs for me since they turned two! This other little girl, mind you, is no dummy. She reads at a 4th grade level, writes extremely well, and plays the piano with a natural grace. However, her parents have not taken the time to teach their kids how to do the simplest of household tasks! I thought that the pre-school years were supposed to be all about learning how to do things around the house like sweeping, mixing, washing, feeding the dog, etc. Turns out my peers have been focusing on teaching their kids reading and writing and neglecting these other very important skills.
So what was the difference between their cooking skills? When I handed a bottle of oil to the friend to open, she actually tried to open the thing the wrong way! She was turning it to the right instead of to the left. When I told her to mix some ingredients in a bowl she held the wooden spoon as if it were a dagger and didn’t really get to mixing the food at all. I was frankly quite taken aback by this. Even though her mom had told me that she hasn’t taught her how to cook because “they are too busy,” I was still shocked at the fact that a six year old couldn’t hold a spoon and mix. Her parents are simply too busy to wait a few extra moments to have their daughter help mix things or open things. But aren’t we doing our children a disservice by not teaching them these things? What is our role as parents if not to teach them these basic skills?
(Before you start worrying that I was forcing my daughter and her friend to do chores during a play-date, let me explain that they were making popcorn and ice cream - both items were for them to chow down on, not me!)
So this is a first post in a series on learning how to cook (no matter what your skills!). This is a life skill that everyone needs to know. If all you can do is order a taco from the local fast food restaurant then you will be hurting in any kind of emergency if you don’t have these skills to fall back on. Not to mention the fact that you could save a lot of money and eat a whole lot better if you can make your own tacos at home!
