When all my girls were younger they LOVED to cook with me. I would head into the kitchen to prepare some sort of snack meal or dessert, and instantly I had four sets of beautiful eyes sparkling my way. They climbed on counters, scoot chairs over for themselves and a sister and stood motionless ready for instruction. They were ready to help prepare food in an instant. Of COURSE I wanted to share that time with them! Of COURSE I wanted to make memories sharing family recipes and some of my very own! Of COURSE I knew the importance of teaching my children to work in a kitchen and the importance of food. How it sustains our life. How delicious and fun it can be! How it can literally bring joy! And also how to be smart and safe about what we feed our precious bodies. However, its not as glamorous as it looks on Pinterest with clean white counter tops and a small child sitting still and pleasant on said countertop with a silver bag of non GMO milk chocolate chips. Not a tear in an eye. Not a sprinkle of flour on their clothes. Not even an egg shell (or entire egg) spilled across the floor. No, no. Reality is NOT Pinterest.
MY reality: ALL my girls wanted to put ALL the fun ingredients in the Kitchen aid for cookie batter. ALL of my girls wanted to stir the bowl when making pancakes. ALL of them wanted to cut, peel or mash anything we were making every time we prepared food. All of them had slimy goopy messy hands at the same! I would play the 'who can stay frozen until mama comes to get you" game while taking one child at a time to the countertop each them up. I would talk to my children like a puppy saying "staaaaaaaaay" while I wiped up the food off the floor that had been spilled. I would divide the ingredients up into little dishes (pre measured) so they each got to pour something into the mix. It was mass hysteria. I wanted to cry EVERY single time we cooked or baked. And I DID cry a lot of the times. I wanted to scream and I wanted to stop. There was always a huge mess during and after. There were always messy hands and frustrated sisters. There were ALWAYS SO MANY DARLING LITTLE HANDS! 
I had to get a grip. I had to figure something out! I had to think of something fast so these precious babes I have been trusted with would learn and grow and enjoy our time in the kitchen. So, I made a cooking day for them all. Monday was for {S}. She got to help me with all the things! We spent time talking. I taught how to use certain utensils and tools. She learned to cut and she learned to read the recipes. She got to learn how wonderful it can be in the kitchen creating. The got to have quiet calm pleasant time with her mother (and I with my daughter) without any frustrations. They ALL got that! Tuesday was for {E}. Wednesday was for {D} and Thursday was for {L}. And Friday was for pizza! Saturday and Sunday I got to cook alone (my therapy).
You guys! It was AWESOME! We did this for a year or two and then the magic happened. Little by little I would let them take over the entire meal for the night. I stood back and talked them through certain things. They excelled like I never would have known! They got to learn what they liked and what they didn't! One loves to bake! One loves to crack the eggs the very most! One loves to cook more than bake. One loves to eat and sample while she goes and one loves to clean while she goes. It was GENIOUS!!! The peace that filled my home was priceless. The lessons learned and time spent was priceless.
It has also brought so much relief when Mama has to be somewhere right at dinner time. I can assign a daughter to prepare a meal and it gets done! It has been therapy (like for myself) for a few of them. It has been a stress reliever and peace bringer. It has helped them learn service for others and it has taught them about health. It was a TON of work and I had to bring my most patience BUT! It has been one of the GREATEST rewards!!! The memories are there. The awful ones from days before which now I can almost laugh about ;) And the lovely ones from our special times together. I will complexity cherish that time with my daughters.If you are struggling with cooking in your home, give this a try! Give your children a special day with you in the kitchen. Have them even choose the meal they will prepare. Hey, why don't ya even let them shop for the ingredients with you! Give them a small portion of that hefty shopping list and get them feeling important!
While potty training has and always will be my LEAST favorite part of parenting, teaching my children to cook is ranked up there with my MOST favorite parts.
xo-teresa
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