Teaching children to cook meals

Good for you if you could learn at an early age. I have NO idea how I would have been with kids because I dont have any. I was brought up in cotton-wool as you say and couldnt touch a knife or get near the stove as a kid. Well my sister ended up going to cooking school and become a Chef, I had a restaurant, and both my brothers can cook very well. Of course, once we left home, we would call mom all the time to ask how she did this or that. I could watch her cook but not touch anything dangerous. So Ive still learned how to.

Yes, teaching our children how to cook at an early age could be advantageous for them as they grows up. But it's should be with patience and care because we know at their age they can get really excited. Like handling knives and hot pots and others. It's also a plus when they decide to have their own family or live separately from their parents.

Hi,dear friend, I agree with you that parents should not always wrapped their children in cotton-wool,they should make them expeince differnet things including hardships or other testments,as I think in this way when their children grow up,they will be more strong and not easily hurt by the difficulties.I have got a example of myself,when I was a little child I actually taken really good care of by my parents ,no beatens ,no remarks,when I was going to university,a lot of my friends got their part time job,However,my parents worried about me ,about the hardships I will undergone in my life they choose not to let me do any part time jobs.I have lost a lot of chances to practise my self in the real world ,I aways communicate with myself only in the world of books ,school works,no real practise.So you can imagine the direct results is that ,I am much volunerable to face the real world ,face the after life after school.If I have the chance to live again my school life I will do more part time jobs to cmmunicate with the world,communicate with others,only in this way can I got more pratical expericen which is really a treasure when I am applying a job. Hope you everything goes well Molly

It's true. People nowadays are too paranoid on children's welfare that they don't seem to realize the importance of the difference of the upbringing of the two generations. Parents today are too damn overprotective. They don't allow the children to grow on their own, to let them be stronger from their small experiences. It's like you're supposed to let their own bodies develop immunity from the harsh regions of the environment, and you're covering them up in a tight air bubble. When the time comes that they come out of their shells, their bodies do not recognize the conditions of the environment, making them more vulnerable to damage.

Hi 163Mandoligirl, Yes, it's good to teach children how to cook so that they will learn the skill. They will learn to cook simple dishes and they can help their mother in the kitchen. When they grow up, they can cook for themselves. They won't have to rely from others. This is important especially if they have to leave home and go to college. They live on their own, so they can cook their own food.

It is really great to teach children cooking meals at the right age. Even if it does not require cooking it is still good to teach them that to give them motivation. Even those simple pastries first or preparing sandwiches is a good start for them to learn cooking or preparing meals. Therefore, when they grow up, they would be more capable and able to survive on their own.

Hi Mandolingirl, I think the way your parents taught you is the same as I did and still do with my children. My son is seven but will help me prepare the vegetables for cooking using knives and make cakes with me etc. In fact I find he eats better if he has helped cook it. As he gets older I will allow him to do more, he makes a cup of tea for me from time to time and knows the kettle holds boiling water and is careful to pour into the cup with the spout facing away from him. Huggles Ellie :D

That's a superbly valuable skill, and one which I think should absolutely be taught in schools. So many parents cannot or will not cook from scratch that unless schools do not step in there will grow up a generation of young people entirely reliant on ready meals and takeaways. You cannot be self reliant and independent if you cannot look after yourself, and you cannot look after yourself unless you can cook at least basic meals for yourself. I don't believe that kids should be kept away from knives or hot pans either. Of course, they should be supervised using anything that could injure them, but kids learn through experience. My kids can use knives and scissors quite safely because they've been allowed to do so. Some of the young adults who come to visit us, by comparison, have quite obviously never chopped a vegetable in their lives. At a time when they should be moving into the next stage of their lives these poor young people are having to learn basic skills they should have mastered years ago like how to peel a carrot. It's a shame.

Yes with guidance and supervision, I feel it is a great idea. It is important for both boys and girls to know how to cook, as mom and dad will not be around forever. One does not know what the future will bring and to at least learn the basics is a good starting point.