One of the activities we have done with the kids over the years is bake. It is the ultimate win win – it fills time constructively, you get to lick the bowl (literally when they were younger, now they use a spoon, mostly), and you get to enjoy the product once it’s done.
So, it’s been interesting watching them build their confidence and independence in the kitchen. There’s been a bit of trial and error!
My son recently got the (store-bought) pizzas in the oven to then have to get them out again and remove the cardboard – genuinely a schoolboy error?
So, when we were going out the other night, we took the time to interrupt him and his friend from their devices. That itself took several moments to wrestle their eyeballs (and brains) from the screens. We ran through the steps – turn the oven on, wait for it to heat, insert the pizza minus the wrapper and the cardboard, and stay off a device and in the kitchen while it cooks!
Arriving a few hours later, it was reassuring that the house was still standing. The boys confirmed pizza had been consumed, so we quietly congratulated ourselves til we went into the kitchen to find that the oven was still on…
When challenged, his response was we didn’t tell him that step!
However, he has since made pretty fabulous flapjacks (and switched the oven off) so all is forgiven!
Tough Mother 