Do children belong in the kitchen?
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According to Tara Parker Hope, blogger at Well, the health site of the New York Times, one of the most common mistakes of parents is “sending children out of the kitchen.” She went on to cite studies which showed involving children in food preparation make them more open to try new things to eat.
That’s probably one of the reasons why the NYC Wine and Food Festival 2008 is organizing several sessions for kids - the so-called Kids Get Cooking series of sessions.
The author of the Kitchen Playdates Books series Lauren Deen will bring the flavour of her books and programs to the festival on October 12. In these (free!) sessions for 2 age groups, Lauren will bring the. The session from 3 to 4 pm is meant for kids aged 2 to 5 years old. The second one from 4 to 5 pm is for 6 to 8 year olds.
The Kidz Kitchen for kids between 5 and 16 will be hosted by Food Network’s Rachael Ray on October 11 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm and costs 35 US$.
I am pretty easy going when it comes to letting my boys climb, jump, or run. However, I must admit I am extremely cautious when it comes to the kitchen. My twin boys were seldom allowed in the kitchen until they turned three. I had railings installed that separated the kitchen from the living/dining room. They could see me (and I them) but they couldn’t come near me while I was cooking. Even now, at 5, they’re only allowed to participate in baking cookies and cakes and preparing salads. When it comes to the hot stuff, they are not allowed within a meter of the stove. This is because I had this terrible experience as a child. I was about 8 years old when I bumped against somebody carrying a bowl of hot broth straight from the stove and suffered serious burns on my upper torso. I couldn’t remember the person I bumped against or what happened afterwards. I only remembered the pain that lasted for weeks, maybe even months. It’s something I definitely do not want to happen to my boys. On the other hand, I don’t them growing up uninitiated in the ways of the kitchen. At some stage, they would have to make their own soup and boil their own eggs. I still need to decide at what age they would be ready…
Do you think I am being too careful about this matter? What’s your policy about children’s place in the kitchen?
Melissa H says...
I agree with you that kids in the kitchen with hot stuff do not mix. When I was a little girl a boy from church had hot bacon grease spilled on his head. He is permanently scarred and was in the hospital for a long time with the burns. My mother worked on both the burn unit and the peds unit while getting her nursing degree and she worked with kids that were in such pain from burns that MORPHINE couldn’t ease thier pain. I DO NOT want that to be my child. I guess that their has to be a happy medium… because I can see how being a part of food prep can help them to be more concious of food choices…. I just want to be sure that my child stays safe also. Of course my girl is only eleven months but a strict out of the kitchen policy is enforced in our house…. and yes someday she will have to be introduced to the kitchen, I’m just not sure when yet.