Prepared
for life. That is what I want my kids to be before they move out of the
house. Along with teaching them to be happy, to be fulfilled, to be kind
and loving, to seek after life, we also want them to be self-sufficient.
With that last point in mind we have taught them to do their own laundry,
to help out with daily chores around the house and also how to cook. We
don't want them leaving the house only knowing how to make a bowl of cereal (my
specialty).
With this in mind
we are beginning to have them help out in the kitchen with meals. A
couple of nights ago my daughter was assigned to make dinner on her own.
It was a simple taco meal which my wife thought was a good entry level
meal to start with. She did great. It didn't go without a few speed
bumps but in the end it tasted good and filled our bellies. The best part
was the show she put on during her meal preparation.
I must admit, my
kids will not leave my care without a sense of humor. This they both have
in healthy doses. The show my daughter put on was not fully intentional
but hilarious nonetheless. I laughed as I watched her try to shake the
refried beans out of the can, which if you've tried this you know it's not
going to happen. I told her she had to scoop them out first so she stuck
a spoon in, loosened them up and then proceeded to shake the can again.
As you can see in the blurry (because I was laughing so hard I couldn't
hold still) photo below the beans missed the pot.
One more lesson I
must teach her is weapon selection because on this night she chose poorly.
With all the sharp knives available to brandish she chose the rubber
coated can opener to protect her kingdom. "This is my kitchen weapon
and I'll use it on you if you try to come in!" she yells followed by a
menacing cackle.
And although she'd
barely talk to me last night because I won't let her, at 14, get gauges put in
her ears I love her dearly and more than she'll ever know.
