Well we finally decided that it was time for my 10 year old and my 7 year old to learn to cook. A bit at least. My 7 year old gets to push the buttons on the microwave and put the cheese in the macaroni and cheese. More will come as he can handle it.
My 10 year old is learning more and more things to cook. And how to tell if the pasta is done, and how to make Jello. She is able to turn on the oven and put things in and out. It is rather nice that the kids are getting old enough to do some things around the house. It is especially nice when we have to take care of the new baby.
The most surprising thing to me is how quickly they are taking to the chores and learning. They are learning how to put things together for dinner and they are learning not to be afraid of the stove or the microwave. I think half of the excitement of cooking for them is being able to use the appliances that have been off limits for so long.
I think one of the most important things that we are all learning is trust. My wife and I are learning to trust our kids to do things without us showing them how. The kids are learning that we do trust them. They are also learning that the things we have been saying for years about the stove being hot and knives being dangerous are true, and not just something we made up to repress the kids with.
This whole journey of letting the kids grow up can be overwhelming. They will always grow physically. They will get bigger and need new clothes and shoes no matter what we do. The trick is to let them grow mentally, adapting to their personalities and aptitudes as they can handle it.
Giving them more responsibility is a fine line between “too much I can’t handle it” and “not enough to keep my interest for long”. That is a line I constantly test as a parent. There are things that I remember doing at their ages that my kids are just not ready for yet. They are coming. The trick is to keep them interested so they don’t drift away on you.
They want to mow the lawn now….I am not quite ready to relinquish that yet. On the front yard people see at least.
Have a great weekend guys, thanks for reading.
-Justin
