If you read my first post you know what started my change in lifestyle. As my son gets older the question has become “How do I get him to adopt the same habits?”. Well I think I found the answer about a month ago. Let him help cook. Like a lot of 17 month old kids, he gets a bit fussy about what he will and won’t eat, even if its something I already know he likes. It was Father’s Day and I was making breakfast, he came to the gate we have at our kitchen doorway and asked what I was doing. I told him cooking, and he now can’t see me go to the kitchen without saying “cook”. I let him put a little salt and pepper in the scrambled eggs and I held him as I made them. He normally likes eggs but this time he was super excited to eat them. So now I try to get him involved whenever I can, and whenever its safe. Not only does it get him excited about eating the food, it is a lot of fun to spend that time with him.
After I started letting him help cook, I did some research to see if it was just my imagination or was this something that might help all parents. As it turns out there are tons of reasons why you might want to get your kids involved. The most obvious is the fact that it might get them not only to try, but be excited to try some healthier choices they otherwise might not. Now that is great, almost like playing a mind trick on them. Also every meal you eat at home is one less meal you eat out. With the obesity rates the way they are in this county I feel it is best to know exactly what you are eating. When we eat out, the meals are very often higher in fat, sodium, and the portions at many restaurants have become ridiculous. When eating at home, you control all of that, and you can start teaching them about the importance of good eating habits and why they are important. Another great reason to get them involved is to have that great family time. With the hectic jobs and schedules that some people have now it can be hard to have quality family time. The family meal has become a lost tradition to a lot of people, maybe its time we find it again. Beyond making you as a parent happy to spend time with them, it can also have a positive impact on your children. It can give them a sense of accomplishment and pride. Make them feel good about contributing to the family. Anything that can boost a childs self-esteem can’t be too bad. Speaking of things that are good for our kids, cooking is a valuable skill. It can turn into a career, help your son impress the girl of his dreams, or just enable them one day to feed a family of their own with the right food choices.
I hope that you can relate to any of the reasons I gave to get kids involved. Any one of them really is great, but when you start looking at all the factors(better eating habits, trying new foods, giving them self-confidence, a feeling of pride and contribution the family, more family time, learning a great skill, and reducing the number of restaurant meals) it’s really hard not to see that this is something we should all try to do whenever we can. Check back for some kid friendly recipes this weekend!
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