Let them make a mess

Today my 10 year old daughter cooked for me. It wasn't anything complicated. She made baked potato with tuna and cheese topping.

As I drove home from work I was thinking about what I could cook. It needed to be something nice, fast and simple cause my kids were hungry.

I walked through the door at 4.30pm and rushed to make some phone calls before the close of business. I heard my kids rattling in the kitchen. I thought they were looking for something to eat so I ignored it while I made my phone calls.

About 30 minutes later I walked into the kitchen. My daughter had her cookbook spread out on the bench which we had borrowed from the library a few weeks earlier, a potato cooking in the oven and tuna which had been crushed in a bowl with onion. I looked around the kitchen and cringed at the mess she had made, but I bit my tongue.

She looked at me with a big smile and said to me 'Mum I'm cooking for you'. I smiled at her while the thoughts circulated in my head about the mess she had made. I kept telling myself let her cook, she wants to cook, she needs to make a mess to learn. She had been nagging me for weeks to take her grocery shopping and let her buy the ingredients so she could cook but I had kept putting it off. I felt bad and instantly changed my tune. I helped her cut the potato and showed her how to assemble the tuna and cheese on top and put the peas and corn to boil on the stovetop.Afterwards we sat down and ate them and I must say they were pretty tasty!

I have decided to let her cook more often. It builds confidence, personal responsibility and independence and that  is what I want to foster in my children.

I grew up with an extremely controlling mother who would get angry if I poured the water the wrong way or if I didn't put a plate or bottle back in the fridge the way she wanted. My mother was even bathing me when I was 13! I never learnt how do things for myself and therefore lacked confidence, was insecure and afraid to try new things. This lasted throughout my teenager and early adulthood years alhamdulilah I am different now.

I have learnt from my mothers mistakes and I am sure my kids will also learn from mine one day. So from this day forward I will let them make a mess!