Letting Your Kids Cook...

OH yeah!! well being that i work from home and yeah im usually the one that coks my girls WANTED to cook they actually pushed me out the kitchen a few times so they could cook! i was a nervouse wreck! but.... they can now make pasta, soups, package noodles, burgers, most things actually they love it!! they actualy love if i work *over time* so they can cook!! then serve me and that is great :) XX lol i usually have the crockpot on tho especially on those days were all in and out all day with sports and events and such! so when they cook its a nice break! im still not ok with them using the grill tho -besides Dad isnt as *READY* to let it go as i was the kitchen lol They HAVE to learn sometime if they are going to stay alive when they move out lol why not with u? :)XX

Absolutely. My son has some interest in cooking, so I let him help a little, but he's only 5 and Autistic, so I have to be careful with what I show him how to do. For instance, I won't be showing him how to turn on the stove any time soon. But he understands the process some. Sometimes, when he wants spaghetti he'll get out a pot, fill it with water and put it on the stove, then bring me the box of spaghetti. So he's already done half the work for me, which is nice. I've also seen him try to imitate me as far as cutting vegetables and stuff. Once I cut a large salmon fillet in half, and while I was washing and putting away the fillet knife he pulled out a butter knife and tried to cut one of the halves in half again. It was really cute. He uses a butter knife to cut his toaster scrambles in quarters, and he's tried peeling potatoes a few times. Eventually, I hope to be able to teach him all the cooking skills he'll need.

I have two granddaughters coming to visit in a couple of weeks with their Mum. I'm looking forward to having them here and one of the things I'm planning is to let them do some cooking if they want to. If all else fails, I'm sure they'll be ok at doing jelly. LOL.

When I was young, my mother would let me mix the batter, and also put the cookies on the sheet, or the cakes in the pan, but she turned on the oven, and would never let me put it in. When I got older, I would help with the meals, and could even fry a steak, make ham and eggs and stuff like that. But by then I was in my teens. Our sons helped, did the making cookie and cake bit, and gradually got to make the first part of the meals. Mind you, I could never tell when they did without supervision, but at the age of 12, they would never had cooked without me watching them.

I like cooking when I was in childhood.I think it is useful to let kids cook,and it is always full of fun.Kids not only could learn skills of cooking,but also give them an interesting experiece in the process of growing up.I'd like to have my kids cook when I have kids.

I've only just recently allowed my daughter into the kitchen and part of that is because she's only 8 and another part is that its kind of like growing up a bit more while i still see her as my baby. I regularly let her help in baking like mixing and stuff but my hubby forced my hand and has started letting her cook properly. Granted its only things like stirring beans or soup but i still worry about it. To be fair to him, every time she does help with the cooking, he's right there telling her how to do it and what she might add to it to give it a bit of a kick and he never lets her out of his sight while shes in there. She actually seems to be doing ok with it and shes really proud of herself that she is cooking for mummy and her food hasnt been burnt yet lol so i guess ill probably have to give up the ghost and let her start cooking more... eventually. I'm going to hold on to her being dependant on me just a little longer lol

Yes my oldest daughter who will be 13 next month cooks.I taught her and she cooks really well with my supervision with some foods.I do eat her food and its really good.My son and youngest daughter doesnt cook right now.They know how to cook food in the mircowave but not on the stove.

Oh yes, I quite agree. They must be encouraged as much as possible. I was never taught to cook and when I lived alone before I got married I managed to stay alive! haha The one thing that experienced really taught me was to be VERY thankful for ANY meal provided by someone else! I really understand and appreciate the effort that has gone into it. Having experienced real thirst and real hunger I now eat ANYTHING so when my children cook something, as far as I'm concerned it is 'angels food' and I say so. haha

I have no problem with my kids cooking as long as they aren't by themselves. My daughter doesn't like it so much, but my son loves to cook. He has barbequed steaks and hot dogs, he makes a mean omelet, and his favorite thing to make is grilled cheese sandwiches. He makes me lunch all the time during the summer and on the weekends. My daughter much prefers the microwave to "real" cooking (kinda like her mother LOL).

Absolutely, both boys and girls should learn to cook (among other skills). My son actually tool classes at a Culinary school, he started when he was 10. He is now 21, he loves cooking for the his girl friends and their families. The mothers all love him and think he is quite a catch. I started him cooking at about 4. He had an easy bake oven.

Yep..I have 2 boys. They both do dishes, make the beds, when they were around 10 years old I taught them how to use the washer and dryer. I also have them turn on the oven, stir a pot, make grilled cheese sandwiches. This summer my youngest asked me if I would teach him more of how to cook and I said YES! One another note, my mother allowed all of her children to experiment in the kitchen when were young. We all could do basic cooking by the time we were 12 years old. My brother went on to receive cooking certificates which he received while being an army cook! My mother also allowed us at young ages to use her sewing machine..we can all also sew rather well. Even my brother....I wouldn't allow my children to touch my electric sewing machine! lol

I let my kids cook. They are good at cooking eggs and bacon and something out of a can like raviolis or canned soup, ramen noodles, convenience foods for the microwave. I want them to be comfortable in the kitchen and be able to cook for themselves.

Well I dont very much but he does any way. Usually he likes to add things and its usually the first thing he can get so I end up wit interesting combinations. Like beans with cinnamon ( a whole spice jar worth) or pasta sauce with vanila. I let him peel things and stir thing when I am cooking I do let him help when he wants but somethimes he is just way to helpful.

My babies are to little, I let them help stir and things like that. My 9yr old doesn't cook except for like the microwave, cause he burnt himself taking something out of the oven like a month ago and he's been scared since then to go near the stove.

I cooked on my own from an early age. I always let my son cook too, thats how you learn. I have also always let the grandkids help me cook, they are never too young to help in the kitchen. I let my 2 yr. old grandson help in the kitchen. He shucked a bag of corn for me, I asked if he wanted me to help, he said yep. Then he told his mom, grandma helped me. He likes having jobs to do, kids are never too young to help out with stuff.

As parents one of the most important lessons we can give our children is cooking and starting them as young as possible so they can feel comfortable in the kitchen. You can start them at 3 tearing up luttice and things like that. My own kids started at 5 and 6 wanting to cook their own eggs for breakfast and makeing toast. My girls wanted to bake cup cakes. I showed them what to do and how then I had to leave the kitchen bacause it was very difficult watching the mess being made. It was easier to help them clean up the kitchen than to watch the dribbled batter as it was carried to to individual cup cake pans. Their cooking experiences were unique. One time while I was working they made bread When I gotr home it was in the garbage and as black as could be. They had set the oven at 500 degrees. The bread was still doughy in the middele. So they learned to pay attention to the directions in the recipies. We had a few other desasters but they are all good cooks to this day. Both boys and girls.

Definitely! There is nothing wrong with teaching your children to be independent and to do things for themselves. At 13 years old, I cooked dinner when my dad got home from work because my mom was working. I didn't need to be supervised after I had done if for a little while. My 13 year old is the youngest of my kids (all of them have cooked since they were young) and he can cook quite well. We quite often cook dinner together but I would trust him to cook dinner even while there was nobody else around. There is no reason why I wouldn't trust most children to cook while being supervised. I would make sure that the first thing I did though was to teach them about safety. After that, let them have fun with it.

i do let my daughter who is 14 cook, she makes a mean cake! she doesnt cook a lot, but as she gets older i think we will start getting her to meal plan and make the meal. our trouble is that we are always so busy and rushing out of the house after supper due to activities!!

My children are grown now, but when they were young, they were the ones doing the cooking with supervision. I encouraged them to learn to cook simple meals. My oldest son like to cook potatoes with eggs scrambled in, that he used to fill tortillas. He would then invite his friends from school to come home for lunch with him. My second son was the baker in the family. If it was to be cooked in the oven, that was his area. He made bread, cakes, cookies, roasts, enchiladas and on and on. My third son was the prep guy. He helped with any prep work his older brothers were into preparing. My daughter was not allowed in the kitchen by her brothers, that was their way of protecting her. The youngest was too young to help, but he got to enjoy whatever they had prepared. As the three older boys got older and started talking about when they moved out, we made a deal with them. They needed to take Home Economics at school to become familiar with the responsibilities of living on their own. All four of my boys took at least one class. My daughter never did. She took a class in woodshop instead. When she got married, there was very little that she knew how to cook. Her husband had taken a class with her brother so he knew how to cook simple meals. Now I have grandchildren over on weekends and they are encouraged to bring a recipe and we prepare it together. After preparing it a couple of times, they are allowed to prepare it totally on their own. I love to see the expressions on their faces after they have prepared something. They are so proud of themselves. I think that cooking is a good thing for children to learn. It is a matter of survival. So I feel that if a child has an interest in cooking, then encourage it..

i think thats a great idea. it shows kids some responsibility! not only that i think it helps out showing them how to cook healthy foods & enjoyign the cooking palette! i think im going to keep that in mind for my kids when they are alil older!