Ever feel overwhelmed with all the cooking responsibilities in your home? Many of us feel the sole responsibility to plan meals, purchase ingredients, prepare meals, set the table, and do all the clean-up…all after a long day of work.
What if I told you that I had a secret that could help reduce your stress and strengthen your relationship with family members? The secret is out: share meal responsibilities with your partner, children, and/or other family members!
It’s true – sharing cooking responsibilities can strengthen your relationship with family members. Working together can make meal preparations feel like less of a chore, and more like a fun family activity. Additionally, sharing responsibilities divides the work so no one person carries a heavier load than the rest.
Preparing foods with your partner sets aside quality time together. You know you will at least have this time to talk, be in the same room, and do something together. This also builds teamwork in your relationship. You can work on preparing separate recipes or prepare one recipe at the same time. Either way, you are working toward a common goal and in some cases, you may need to “problem solve” together. If you are both starting to learn to cook, you can learn new food preparation skills together and help each other learn along the way.
Children can help in the kitchen in a variety of ways. Use your judgment to decide what your child feels comfortable doing, and when he or she is ready to try more advanced tasks. Here are a few age-appropriate tasks for children compliments of the Food Hero website (https://www.foodhero.org/tips/make-it-happen/basic-kitchen-tasks-kids).
2 Years Old
- Wash vegetables and fruits, wash and tear lettuce, wipe tables and counters, or snap green beans.
3 Years Old
- Wrap potatoes in foil for baking, pour liquids, mix ingredients in a bowl, recycle food containers, or put garbage in the trash can.
4 Years Old
- Set the table, peel oranges or hard-boiled eggs, or pick produce in the garden.
5 Years Old
- Measure ingredients, or cut foods with a plastic or blunt knife
Older youth
- Cut foods with a sharp knife, shop for vegetables and fruits, prepare vegetable/fruit recipes, pick out recipes for meals, or plan menus for meals.
Brainstorming meals ideas and recipes with others takes some of the work off you and also helps incorporate new foods or recipes that you may not naturally consider. Children may be more interested in recipes that they pick out and foods that they prepare. When children help in the kitchen, they can learn to understand that living in a family involves work and that every member shares the responsibility and the benefits.