Cook with your kids

Tuesday will make it 11 years since I've been doing this parenting thing and I've somehow managed to stay afloat, if only barely at times. On December 24, 2008 the Christmas Eve tradition of doing last-minute shopping and "putting away" the house was replaced by a new tradition – finding ways to help my son enjoy his birthday without getting caught up in the festive chaos that is Christmas Eve in TT. Malls and any public entertainment places are certainly out of the question, as are birthday parties at home. For who has time to take their children to a party on that day when there are so many over crowded places to be and long lines to stand in? So, with the exception of last year, when he had a real pyjama party ON the evening of his birthday in Atlanta, Georgia and was one of the only two children there, December 24 is usually an action free day for us and his party is usually held a few days later.

This year, however, I've come up with the perfect plan. This will be a birthday sans a store-bought cake because he and I are going to bake a cake or cookies together. Apparently, there are a number of benefits to cooking with your children – benefits that I may have lost out on because, I'm ashamed to admit, I've never baked anything with or for my child, except maybe macaroni pie and chicken. Not breads, not cookies, not cakes. So much so that he once suggested to his aunt that she should "teach your sister to bake bread."

"Every mother bakes something for their children," my friend Annabelle pointed out when the conversation of a birthday cake came up and she discovered what has turned out to be one of my biggest parenting faux pas. I didn't even realise how grave of an error I had made until it was highlighted. "You should feel bad," she scolded, immediately gifting me one of her hand mixers and referring me to the Naparima Girls High School cookbook collecting dust on a shelf. So now I also have to admit that I so did not come up with the birthday baking plan.

Anyway, as I was saying, teaching your children to cook presents an opportunity to teach them valuable lessons, as it reinforces subjects taught at school and introduces new ones.

Many recipes can be doubled or halved, depending on the number of people that will be served. This introduces and reinforces simple math skills such as multiplying and dividing. The use of measuring cups and spoons to get the right amount of ingredients highlights the importance of measuring accurately and carefully. And because recipes are meant to be followed in a specific order, children learn how to and the importance of following directions. That is not to say, though, that they can't add their own special touch, as most great chefs are wont to do. Additionally, it enhances their language skills, as they are required to read the recipe and sometimes food labels. The exposure to unfamiliar word will help build their vocabulary.

Getting children to understand the importance of proper nutrition can sometimes be difficult, especially with picky eaters. Spending time with them in the kitchen can actually help, as it can help encourage them to try different fruits, and eat the vegetables and other healthy foods they cooked themselves. Children are curious by nature, and their observation of the way in which certain foods change in colour, size, shape and texture as they are being cooked, helps them to channel their curiosity in productive avenues and aids in building their sensory awareness.

Cooking is frequently described as a work of art, and is the perfect opportunity to bring out the artistic side of children. Creating food with faces, in a variety of shapes and colours, I've been told, is a dream come true for children. It also creates an avenue to offer lessons in culture for adults and children alike, such as the inspiration behind certain dishes and the culture of the people from which they originated. And who knows, they may discover a talent and passion that can evolve into a career, easing up some of the cooking pressure on you the parent.

But one of the greatest benefits to teaching children to cook is the fact that you get to spend quality time with each other. Technology and limited time has made it so that families can lose touch with each other, although they live in the same house. A little time in the kitchen is a good way to connect or reconnect and get great conversations going.

So come Tuesday morning the Naps cookbook will, after many years, come off the shelf; my shiny new mixer will emerge from the box; the measuring cups and spoons will finally work on that for which they were created; and the rest is up to the universe. Come hell or high water, my 11-year-old #1son and I will be baking a cake or cookies, and my dear Annabelle has an obligation to be a taster!