Being a working mom can be extremely stressful especially when you want to provide nothing but the best to your children. I face this dilemma more often than I’d like to and that’s when I realized that involving my 3-year-old in activities concerning her was an easier way to have her agree on things that she wouldn’t quite consider, like eating vegetables or trying different kinds of foods!
It all started one day, when I asked my daughter what she would like to eat, and as expected her reply was ‘pizza’. The immediate thought was ‘no not that junk food again!’ as knowing her she would never want to eat anything but cheese and meat. But I thought for a while and realized that if I involved her in the making process, I could get her to eat the things I want her to. So, with all the ingredients laid out we both started making our own pizzas. I let her put in all that she wanted and then once when I was done with mine, I began to compare my pizza with hers – talking about all the nice colors and the yummy flavors. And guess what! Without any resistance, she started placing the exact stuff that I would have wanted her to, which she would have resisted otherwise.
Apart from the fact that I didn’t have to spend time convincing her, I realized that kids are more likely to try new things if you get them involved. Of course, having patience is the key, but it’s also important that you spend some time teaching them about utensils, techniques and the ingredients themselves. That way, you're not only trying to increase their comfort in the kitchen, but you're also exposing them to new foods. Start off with something that doesn't have a lot of ingredients or steps, or something that's easy to fix. This will not only give them confidence, but also keep them motivated to experiment further.
1 comment:
nice! must try this out with my niece!! :)
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