Some days I am convinced I have the world’s smallest kitchen, especially when all four of us with two dogs under foot are working hard to get dinner on the table. Despite a lack of adequate workspace, I love all the times I can get everyone involved in cooking. I’ve always enjoyed company in the kitchen, even when little helping hands actually added up to bigger messes and more work for me. Throughout our journey as a family, I’ve incorporated my husband and the kids every chance I get. There are plenty of benefits:
- Culinary Skills. There is a job for everyone in the kitchen. Toddlers can whip cream with a hand crank mixer. Pre-schoolers can cut fruit with a butter knife. Any age can learn to measure, pour, mix, mash, shake, or work an egg timer. My kids could make their own snacks at an early age and follow a recipe. They can (although they don’t always) clean up after themselves and properly load a dishwasher. At this point in their lives, they also have several full-dinner recipes they can pull out to help at home or make on their own.
- Opportunity to talk. Every parenting website has at least one post dedicated to the benefits of eating dinner as a family. Think of cooking as a family as an opportunity to expand your time together. Also factor in another set of studies which shows kids are more likely to share and have hard conversations when their hands are busy. Get a kid chopping vegetables, and who knows what they might want to discuss.
- Community lessons. We know it takes a village outside of our homes to make it all work. But many hands make light work inside the home as well. Having my kids take on dinner responsibilities was their first lesson in community and they have each grown to understand not only the importance of dinner prep, but how each of us can help the other out. They contribute to all pot-luck dishes (don’t worry, they always wash their hands). And they also understand feeding the family is a responsibility shared by all of us.
- Traditions. The men in my family share the “super secret cheese sauce” recipe. I have no idea what’s in it but Chuck taught Isaac when he was young and Isaac thought it was the biggest secret of his life! I shared my family “secret” for pie crusts with the kids. Over the years we’ve developed our own favorite recipes and holiday traditions that make our kitchen special. In those moments, I hardly notice my small kitchen.
When I was a little girl, I spent a lot of time with my grandma in her kitchen. She was an excellent cook and professional baker and she passed on to me not only her recipes and skills but also a lot of really good life advice. Some of my best memories happened in that kitchen, laughing with my grandma and soaking up her culinary and life wisdom. I hope my kids feel that way about our family kitchen and will someday continue the tradition.
