Let me guess now!

Why get children in the kitchen?

They are too small for it. They anyways have so much of other stuff to do. Then why boggle them with additional stuff. Moreover the mess that they make! And the vastly longer time they take in doing petty things! Above all, a kitchen is not a child’s territory!

Well, here we might be missing on the bigger part of the game. A little introspection might be a good help.

Familiarizing with food   I have always struggled with being a mom of a picky eater. I think a lot of moms will be able to relate with me. Sometimes, kids find the food too moist or squishy to touch or feel, unpleasing to smell, raw or unusual to look at, or just not fitting the criteria of their normal food. And that ends up getting us worried. Why only my child!   Nothing to worry. This happens with most kids! More or less!   A lot of times kids don’ like a particular food not because of the taste it has, but because it doesn’t appeal to any of their senses. Kitchen can be your rescue here. You will realize that there can be no place as great as this to ignite their interest in food. Kitchen can bring them closer to newer food and acquaint them with how a particular food smells, how it feels to touch and even how it might taste.  It lets them familiarize, explore and experiment. And who knows here they might discover their new favorite. So no more of Eww! and Yuck! Or may be a little less of it. (Keeping fingers crossed)

Motor skills booster

Have you ever noticed a pre-schooler making use of scissors? While one might struggle to get the grip of its hands, the other who is of the same age might seem quite be adept at it. The reason is simple. The usage of hand muscles or fine motor skills varies. The first one might not have practised it or might not have been much exposed to working with hands.

Handling simple tools in the kitchen are a great way to boost motor skills in kids. By doing simple tasks like peeling their eggs or putting jam on their bread or adding and stirring sugar in their milk, they just get better with using their hands. So hand out all such chances of mashing, picking, sifting, whisking every now and then.  A little of this and a little of that will go wrong but a lot of right will come their way.

Count and measure concepts

2 bananas, 1 cup of milk, 8 ounces of butter, 500 ml of water.

We don’t even realize how often we deal with numbers in the kitchen. So why not introduce them to different measuring tools and units of measurement working in kitchen.  Why not tell them about numbers by counting veggies, or tell about time by keeping a track of it on the oven, or introduce them to ounces and liters through regular simple stuff in our kitchen. Sometimes their wide vague curiosity helps them collect their bits of information.

Self-accomplishment

Remember how amazing it felt when for the first time you prepared that full-fledged meal for your parents. The feeling of self-sufficiency and pride you derived then was a motivation enough to lift your spirits up. Similarly, it goes with our kids. They discover a sense of self accomplishment in doing simple chores in the kitchen. Assign them simple tasks and appreciate them for all what they do. That is probably the most integral part.

Responsibility and compassion

Lip smacking dishes, steamy soups, and delightful desserts! Well that’s not only it what we make in a kitchen. It’s in the kitchen where personalities can be framed. Kids can learn a lot of traits while doing simple stuff in kitchen like being helpful, understanding, responsible, disciplined and open minded. A win-win for parents anyways!

Child engagement

Boredom among children is an endemic. They just get bored of playing the same toys and games and doing the same regular stuff with friends and siblings. Kitchen is a new area to explore now. It will keep them busy and also give them a chance to work on a new hobby. So now when you think of picking those herbs, assign bunches of those to two of your young ones and ask them to see who finishes first (clever, huh!). Or, just let them ice their own cupcakes and cookies or top the desserts.

So when is the right time to get my child into the kitchen?

Involving kids in the kitchen is a great idea at any age. While babies can be introduced to kitchen by letting them explore texture and colour of different food like oats, beans, veggies, fruits. Young kids can be made to do basic chores in an interesting way like cleaning the veggies, mashing tomatoes or cutting using a plastic knife. Grown up kids on the other hand can cook simple recipes.

How much will be enough?

Well, that will depend on your understanding of their ability. Don’t burden them with extra stuff or don’t just assume that they won’t be able to. Believe me, most of the times they will just amaze you with their interest and abilities. Some of the tasks that can be assigned include the following:

Babies
Pouring liquid from one bowl to other
Measuring (or just doing something about) any dry food in a measuring cup
Using spoon over soft food (for eating or just playing)

Young kids
Picking herbs
Peeling eggs
Setting the table
Washing vegetables
Putting grocery at its place
Cleaning the cutting board
Spreading jam on bread
Stirring the flour
Grating cheese
Whisking eggs
Seasoning the food
Cutting cookies using a cookie cutter

Older kids
Cooking simple recipes
Using the blender
Chopping, dicing, slicing etc.
Sautéing
Preparing tea/coffee
Grilling sandwiches

What if my child just doesn’t seem interested?

Now, my child doesn’t seem to be interested in doing kitchen stuff.

But hey, here you might be getting it wrong.

Children are born with curiosity and with the love of learning about things around. The same goes for the kitchen too. They have a natural inclination towards cooking and elements of kitchen. So if they don’t seem interested, chances are we are making it look too mundane to them.

So what next?

Create, entertain and appreciate.

Assign your kids something as a chore and they will hate it. So it’s time to get creative and interesting. Sell the tasks and make it look rewarding. Keep the keyword as ‘Lets do it’ rather than ‘do it’. Do all sensible stuff in all ridiculous ways possible. Make activities around the kitchen fun. Appreciate enormously for the smallest task they do. And soon a lot will happen– some smacking food, some horrendous disasters and butts of laughter. Not forgetting to mention the spills and the mess. Anyways, it’s all so worth it!

I am out there at my work; I wonder if he is doing alright at the day care!

Today I gave him half extra hour of screen time, but clearing that pile of bins was such a must!

He left early this morning; I hope he is hale and hearty!

No matter how drastically the world might have changed, mothers sail in the same boat when it comes to bringing our children up. While motherhood introduces you to a new world of hope and happiness, there are myriad of emotions that overwhelm you at times– emotions of guilt, fears, worries and disappointments. Your heart is not at peace when you don’t find enough time to spend with your child. You feel a strong pinch yourself when you use harsh words to your child. You have a sense inadequacy for yourself when your child doesn’t seem to be exploring his right potential.

Here I just wish to say to all the mother’s to take a break, sit down and realize what you deserve.

All you deserve is a pat on your back for being so brave. Brave, because it has never been easy for you to leave your little one behind and go to work. Nothing is above that tiny soul.  However, work is important too– important so that you are more efficiently able to handle the finances and give your child a better and secure future It is important because you are passionate to your cause — the cause that makes you what you are today. Your heart wrenches with that wistful look into the eyes of your child who thinks that he would probably be able to bargain for your day today. However, you continue to fulfill your duties of what your work demands of you. And in that process you forego those innumerable moments of their childhood.  May all such mothers have enough quality time with to spend with their children one day!

You deserve a pat because you are selfless.  Selfless because when you embraced motherhood, there was just no looking back. When you could have chosen to work or any other thing in this world, you chose to spend your precious moments with your little ones so that you are there to enjoy all their milestones and give an undivided you to them. From the day your child is born, your mind and body is constantly at work demanding the extreme out of you. You are up there cooking, cleaning the spills and the mess, picking and dropping, handling disputes, educating, playing- and all this with no material rewards. There are times when you are overwhelmed carrying the responsibilities and moments when your entire world comes tearing apart. But then you again buckle up, hold on tightly and enjoy this complicated ride. That is what motherhood is all about after all!

You deserve a pat because you are constantly battling your fears– fear of being misunderstood, fear of leaving your kids in someone else’s authority, fear of not getting back the same love as you do, fear of failing as a teacher. You are constantly trying to meet the expectations that you (or may be others) set for yourself; judging your choices, actions and inactions. By every way and means, you are just trying to give enough –your time, attention and lessons of life. 

While you need to realize that your presence is indispensable to all others around you, you also need to realize amongst all this there is a YOU– which is so very important. Your physical and mental well-being is the foremost for the happiness of all around you. When the time seems tough and the going gets a little difficult than the usual remember the following:

• Go easy– All you need is to slow down and go easy on yourself. Fear –but fight your fears to the extent they let you do better.  Worry–but don’t let that feeling be your only constant.  Get yourself out of the maze of the emotions that will hinder you to bond with your children. Tell yourself you are wonderful and you are doing an amazing job. Play, laugh, read, tickle, dance, go to the park and let all your worries disappear in those moments of joy.

• Take time out for yourself– Don’t forget to take moments out for yourself, whatever makes you feel better to refresh and rewind. Indulge in self-care, chat with a friend, take a quick walk or some quiet time to read. It can work as your instant motivation. Remember a motivated mother will be able to raise motivated kids.

• Be realistic– You are constantly on the go; doing multiple tasks and playing multiple roles. Don’t attach unrealistic expectations with yourself so that you find it too heavy to carry the responsibility. If it makes you feel better to leave the house messy and relax in your pyjamas then let it be so. Don’t get hooked with your do-it-all mentality and give yourself grace of not being perfect. There is nothing like a perfect mother. Perfection is in the effort of striving to be perfect.

• Count your blessings– No wonder parenting seems hard and the life may take a toll on you, but don’t forget to count your blessings. The unique child that God has blessed you with and the tremendous opportunity he gives to bring out the best in you is yet all in itself. With him you get moments to ponder, discover, evaluate and do all what makes you a better version of you. Just enjoy and live into it!