This is Why We Don't Teach Her How to Do Stuff

On Friday night, Daughter was feeling hungry, largely in part because for most of the day she had been subsisting on Otter Pops and Kool-Aid. She asked politely for dinner and when I asked in turn what she wanted to eat, Daughter replied enthusiastically with "Mac-a-woh-ni!" I am quite a fan for the stuff out of the blue box also, and so I got off the couch and headed for the kitchen. Daughter followed me and asked, "Can I help?"

As a parent of a three year old, I feel it is important to always try to get the kid to try to help us with stuff. It sets up a good pattern for the future that will hopefully last until the teenage years. At which time when I am sure that her idea of helpfulness will be to tell me where I can go after requesting that she clean her room.

At this point in her life, Daughter loves to help. Her little cup of joy overflows at the prospect of aiding us in loading the dryer, folding clothes, putting refuse in the trash and squeezing soap into the dishwasher cup. I get nervous when she asks to help cook, because there are some very real dangers in any kitchen. Especially the danger of wringing Daughter's neck if she spills pancake batter on the floor. The challenge for me is to try to break down the steps in cooking a recipe to include steps that she can perform safely.

For example: No, she can't slice potatoes, but she can take the sliced potato pieces and put them in the pot.

I felt very proud of Daughter as she helped me fill the pot with water and add the salt. She counted the number of tablespoons of butter needed for the mac 'n cheese. Daughter told me when I the milk I was pouring reached the 1/4 cup line on the measuring cup. She threw away the blue box and the cheese packet and Daughter let me know (from a safe vantage point) when I had stirred the cheese powder enough into the pasta.

All of this also helped give Daughter ownership of the dinner she helped to make. She always enthusiastically eats anything that I let her help to cook. But, like all things, having a three year old help you cook is a double-edged sword.

Early the next morning, I was in bed and I heard noises coming from the kitchen. I roused myself as quickly as I could and rushed in there. I was greeted with the sight of Daughter standing on her stepstool next to the kitchen counter. In her hand was an Otter Pop and she was gamely reaching for the kitchen scissors. Before she was able to grab them, I said in my best Mommy voice, "What do you think you are doing?!" Daughter was so startled, she nearly tumbled off of the stepstool.

"I'm getting an Otter Pop!"

"How are you going to open it?"

"With these scissors!"

"Are you allowed to touch scissors?"

"Noooooo."

I put her in a time-out and then I sat down on the couch, newly exhausted by this development.
"Great... I start to teach her how to help me cook and it gives her license to start looking for sharp objects to play with."