Two things from me that I really hope to impart to my children by the time they grow up are a love for reading and books and an enjoyment of preparing and eating all different types of food. Though I don't always have time to do it since it causes double the prep time and quadruple the cleanup, I try to let the kids help in the kitchen when I can. Not only do I hope that it will be a lifelong habit for them and that they will have the confidence to prepare anything they care to make, but people always say kids are more likely to eat foods they are personally vested in and with Clara specifically that's true. Today she helped me with the salad, which is kale-based. She ate quite a few kale leaves from it while she was stirring it and kept saying, "Mmmm, I love this". By the time the salad made it to her dinner plate, she was over it and said she didn't like it. So the tasting in the preparation was really key to getting her to eat kale tonight, which is nice for broadening her palate and also nutritionally.
Completely agree. Mine eat way more when they help prep/cook it.
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