Family

Why your kids should learn to cook

In her latest column, journalist and mum-of-two Sacha McNeil reveals just how beneficial getting your kids in the kitchen can be.

“Mum, do you want me to make dinner tonight? I was thinking of popping a chicken in the oven, rustling up a pile of perfectly roasted vegetables and resting it all on a bed of wilted silverbeet from the garden.”

And then I wake up. The future in my daydream is looking bright, but from where I stand right now, things look slightly slovenly and chaotic. But, I have a plan, and for this idyllic imagining to come close to vaguely resembling reality, I’ve relinquished all control of my kitchen.

As parents we need to dig deep, because life in the modern scullery can be whiffy and grubby, with the possibility of bacteria propagating abundantly and not in an ‘intentioned kombucha’ kind of way. It’s time to renounce that sparkling white splashback with the beautiful tiles you invested in before the kids arrived, when you had disposable income and time to pour over colour schemes (but then chose ‘buttery white’ by Karen Walker).

The sacrifice just might be worth it – your kids learning the art of cooking for you, oh and … for themselves.

Fortunately our kitchen has always maintained a somewhat “rustic” or dishevelled appearance. It’s in here that most days the kids help me with what I like to call “free range cooking”. I try to give them culinary space by blocking my ears, humming and trying to picture a world of sustainable food sources for everyone without wiping out the planet. Meanwhile both kids get down to perfecting cracking eggs (simultaneously keeping chickens well and truly in business), dropping, smearing, wiping or sprinkling all manner of powder, liquid or substance across benchtops, floors, t-shirts and faces.

The concoctions are many, varied and at times possibly inedible. Devising a number of their own recipes, the menu has included poison for witches, cold soups, chunky unwashed salads with a sprinkle of dirt, baked goods textured with the crunch of an eggshell, medical concoctions, herb perfume and lukewarm tea. The lucky clientele at these feasts have included friends, grandparents, soft toys, fairies and pets all pulling up a chair at their own peril to this table of experimentation.

Cooking may not become my kids’ forte. If not, I’m happy to forego my selfish daydream of one day being waited on by my children. But in the meantime I’ll continue with this strategy of allowing them to destroy my kitchen while learning much more than how to cook – what failure feels like, as well as success, persistence, patience, and how to do something for and to share with others.

I wouldn’t be surprised if along the way, they learn a thing or two about how to eat good homemade food that might even one day be nourishing for them.

For easy recipes your kids can help with, check out MyFamily Food website www.myfamily.kiwi

Sacha McNeil is a journalist, news presenter and busy mum of two. Join her each week as she shares the lessons she has learnt about parenting – and the things she is still trying to figure out. From dealing with fussy eaters, how to keep toddlers entertained and everything in between, Sacha’s practical advice is both motivating and often hilarious.

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