One of the easiest things to do as a mom is to not include your children in your daily work.  It takes much less time to do the chores alone.  There is less hassle.  You don’t have to explain anything.  You don’t have to practice patience while your child is slowly and ineptly wiping down a counter or sweeping the floor.  Things get done better and are done well when we do them ourselves.  Right?

Yes.  It is true.  I can prepare dinner, do the dishes, wipe down the counter tops, and sweep and mop the kitchen floor in a fraction of the time it takes for me to do it with Isaac and Andrew, who are 4 and 3 respectively.  When Isaac dusts, he is so diligent that it takes him forever.  What price do I pay if I do the work myself and tell him to go watch television or go play?  I submit to you that I pay a huge price.

I am cheating myself out of spending time with my children.  I am cheating myself out of teaching my children skills that they will need in life.  I am cheating myself out of raising hard-working, diligent kids.  I am cheating them out of experiencing the joy of a job well done.

There are days when I feel like I live in the kitchen.  I cook breakfast, put away the food, unload the dishes, load the dirty dishes, and hand wash a pan.  By the time I finish, it is almost time to begin lunch.  There are days when I wonder why my family insists on eating three meals a day and how dare they ask for a snack!

I like being efficient in the kitchen.  I know where things are.  I know how to use my kitchen appliances.  As a result, I can throw a meal together pretty quickly.  But, there are days when I have to remind myself to slow down and make room at the counter or sink for my children.

My oldest son, Clayton, is 15.  He loves to fry eggs and he is really good at it.  Clayton also enjoys making stir-fry.  He can grill and pretty much follow any recipe with successful results.  When he was 12, I was helping my husband, Lane, construct one of his projects.  We were all hungry and I could not stop what I was doing at the time to prepare something for dinner.  I told Clayton to make meatballs.  He knew what to do because I had spent so much time when he was younger allowing him to help me in the kitchen.

My daughter, Kyla, is 12.  She is a master baker.  If we need baked goods, she is my go-to-gal.  Kyla can grill outside, too, even though that is traditionally male territory.  She can cook anything as long as she has a recipe.  There have been many nights when I have depended on her to get dinner started.

Jake is 10.  He is the most adventurous of my children in the kitchen.  He likes to smell spices and come up with different seasoning combinations, which I usually allow.  Until recently, he cooked completely supervised.

On my husband’s birthday last week, Lane and I were coming home from a dentist appointment.  We had to eat an early dinner to make it to church that evening.  So, I called my daughter and asked her to make tea, steam carrots, make a salad, and make ranch dressing.  I asked Jake to season the pork chops and grill them.  I cannot explain how wonderful that dinner was.  To know that your children are capable in the kitchen is great.  To know that they can prepare healthy and delicious meals on their own is awesome.  To know that all those years of cooking with your children pays off is incredible.

As an even bigger surprise, Jake woke up early the next morning.  He made coffee and scrambled eggs for breakfast.  What a wonderful way to start your day!  It made me feel very blessed, honored, and special.  From his smile, I think he greatly enjoyed it, too.

Having your children work alongside of you is worth the loss of time and efficiency.  Encourage their help as they learn skills that will one day prove helpful.  Believe me when I say that it is much nicer to live in a household where five of the seven people (Isaac and Andrew are in training) are capable in the kitchen and elsewhere in the house than a house where one does everything.

If you don’t know where to start, begin in the kitchen.  Make one of your child’s favorite dishes with his/her help.  Know that it will take longer and be a more messy venture, but remind yourself to see the big picture.  See the long-term investment you are making in your child.

Kyla rolling sugar cookies.

When I was pregnant with each of my five children, there was always a time when I was so sick that I could not fix dinner.  I laid on the couch with a bowl in my hand trying to ignore my family’s question, “Hey, mom, what’s for dinner?”  Thank goodness my husband can cook a few dishes.  He would come in and immediately go to the kitchen and begin preparing dinner.  What a lifesaver!

Lane can grill anything from vegetables to meat.  He makes the best eggs.  He makes award-winning chili.  These are his specialties.  Of course, he can follow any recipe.  His occasional help in the kitchen has saved us a lot of money.  We have not had to buy processed frozen dinners or order take-out from a local restaurant.

I have always cooked with my children.  As soon as they can sit on the kitchen counter, they watch me work and “help” when needed.  As they grow older, they help more and more until I am just supervising their cooking.  Eventually, I let them cook solo.

My daughter, Kyla, has always been interested in cooking.  She loves to bake.  In fact, her little brother Isaac only seems to think Kyla can make cookies.  If he asks for a cookie and I tell him we don’t have any, he shouts, “Kyla, make some cookies.”  She cooks independently most of the time and I have noticed that Isaac usually “helps” her.  She is going to make such a good mother.

Clayton is just getting interested in cooking.  I have told him time and time again that he cannot assume his future wife will be a good cook.  I have pointed out the many times when Daddy had to cook because I was gone or sick.  I have also pointed out that he will probably be a bachelor who will need to feed himself.  Lately he has been a big help to me in the kitchen.  I call him my sous chef.  He washes, chops, and minces the vegetables.  As I cook with him,  I explain why I am doing what I am doing.

Isaac is helping me ice a gluten-free brownie cake.

The other day Clayton made vegetable stir-fry all by himself for the whole family.  It was a delicious blend of fresh and frozen vegetables.  He chopped up the onion and garlic.  He shredded the cabbage.  He used a few bags of frozen stir-fry blends.  He chose to grate some ginger and added some crushed red chili peppers.  He also used a little wheat-free tamari sauce.  His stir-fry was so good served on jasmine rice.

As I sat there enjoying every mouthful, I wondered, “Does food always taste better when you did not make it?”  The answer is only when the person who made it can cook.  And, Clayton can cook.  He is now interested in making spring rolls.  Kyla wants to learn how to make lasagna by herself.  Jake wants to grill hamburgers.  I will continue to help my children learn to cook the dishes that interest them.  One day they might be able to teach me a thing or two.  That would be fantastic, a full circle moment.

I encourage every parent to teach their child to cook regardless of gender.  Males and females both need to eat; therefore, they both need to know how to cook.  The ability to make healthy and nutritious meals as well as having them aesthetically pleasing is a gift.  A gift that you can share with your children.  So tonight, teach a cooking 101 class.