Spending time cooking with your daughter can be fun, educational, and a great memory builder. Even if cooking isn’t tops on your favorite things to do, it can be an adventure you and your daughter can embark on together. Show her that you are willing to try new skills and that no one is too old to learn.

Whether your daughter is a preschooler or a tween, or somewhere in the middle, start at her level and yours. If cooking is your thing, have her pick your favorite dish. Help her gather ingredients, give her some kitchen tips along the way, throw in some math or nutritional information that’s age appropriate. Make your cooking sessions a monthly special time during which the kitchen is off limits to the rest of the family. If you have several children, give each one their own turn with Mom in the kitchen. You will be surprised at some of things they will start talking about when you are working on something together.

As your daughter gets more experience in the kitchen, work up to preparing a full meal. Let her choose the menu, if possible take her shopping with you. Give her a budget. It really will impress her how you manage doing this week in and week out for all the family’s meals. There’s sure to be bumps along the way, but giving your daughter a positive environment to experiment in, will really grow her self esteem.

If cooking isn’t your thing, then let her know that this will be an adventure for the two of. Even grown-ups don’t know everything or are good at everything, but we try to do our best for our families. Your tween and teenager are sure to admire you for sticking it out. Who knows, maybe your daughter will even be able to teach you a new trick or two. If nothing else you are still spending time together and making memories, not to mention a mountain of fun.

What to do if the meal is a flop? Talk about what you learned and how you could have done it differently. Think of a girl friend or mentor who you could ask for help. Girls need to learn how to solve their problems without getting frustrated or giving up. And just to make sure no one goes hungry, you can always have a frozen pizza ready to pop in the oven. Being prepared for any kind of outcome is another good life skill that it’s never to early to learn.

And don’t forget to include your daughter’s favorite 18-inch doll, with bite sized portions just for her doll.

Susie Hyde
www.houstonemilyroseathome.blogspot.com

Susie and her fifth grade daughter, Katie, are Emily Rose at Home Founders Circle members. They enjoy lots of time cooking and baking together in their Texas kitchen, along with trying out new doll-sized recipes for Katie’s American Girl dolls. Send them your favorite recipe at skdollclothes@gmail.com or a picture of you and your daughter cooking in the kitchen, and they will post it on their blog.