milee
Senior Associate
Joined: Jan 17, 2012 13:20:00 GMT -5
Posts: 12,344
|
Post by milee on Sept 1, 2016 9:31:40 GMT -5
That's interesting, and I agree, but I don't see that much connection to your OP. Perhaps the responsibility for homework, I guess. I see physically coddled and emotionally coddled as 2 very different things. We tend to physically coddle our kids out of laziness--going to the ER takes forever, and it's expensive. So my 6 yo is only allowed to use a butter knife at the most. Otherwise, he's starting to take more initiative on his own with snacks. We don't emotionally coddle our kids, and have been called terrible people as a result. Oh well, you know what they say about opinions and a**holes--everyone has one. Not a direct connection, no. There are so many components to "adulting" that it would be very tough to isolate any one (or even two or three) that had a direct and definitive link. Doubtful we could say that a child who doesn't know how to use a stove by age ___ is doomed to be a failure as an adult. It's complicated and as SS mentioned, if your kid is doing well at certain things, sometimes it's no biggie to let others slide. If your National Merit Scholar doesn't learn to tie his shoes until 10, but is otherwise happy, healthy and emotionally mature enough to go off to college by 18, that doesn't seem like a problem. In the families I have most direct experience of, physically coddled and emotionally coddled tend to be somewhat linked. You may be an exception to that for financial reasons, but most of the families I see doing one also are doing the other.
|
|
siralynn
Familiar Member
Joined: Jan 8, 2013 10:33:16 GMT -5
Posts: 528
|
Post by siralynn on Sept 1, 2016 10:18:17 GMT -5
My 3 year old already cuts vegetables, but she uses a kids' knife like this. I was surprised, but she can actually even hack through stuff like carrots.
|
|
Anne_in_VA
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:09:35 GMT -5
Posts: 5,547
|
Post by Anne_in_VA on Sept 1, 2016 12:39:06 GMT -5
Based on some comments in the other "How Old To" thread, I'm curious what the various opinions are on when people think kids should know how to do certain things. By what age should a kid know how to prepare basic meals and use kitchen appliances like the stove and microwave? By what age should a kid know how to do laundry? By what age should a kid be doing schoolwork independently without requiring parental supervision on homework or projects? Assuming a kid of average ability and maturity, and no other extenuating situations... With my son (back in the dark ages), he learned to cook pretty early. I want to say around 9 or 10. He was responsible for planning at least one meal a week, putting the items on the shopping list and (with help) cook the meal. By the time he was in high school he could plan, shop for and cook 2 or more meals a week. He planned and made his own lunch and snacks pretty early but with some help with prep from me. I had him start doing his own laundry in high school. Took a few loads of pink underwear and shirts before he got the sort into different loads idea down! I always had issues with him doing his homework. We tried many things, but it wasn't until college that he finally got it. We tried to raise him to be self-sufficient as much as possible as he was growing up.
|
|
raeoflyte
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 3, 2011 15:43:53 GMT -5
Posts: 15,017
Member is Online
|
Post by raeoflyte on Sept 1, 2016 13:18:38 GMT -5
Our microwave is above the stove, and I'm not comfortable with the idea of the kids standing on a chair to get into it so that will probably wait. I have been meaning to get DS7 cooking for over a year now, so I should probably get on that. Both kids like to help with meal prep and anything involved with the mixer. Haven't used sharp knives yet, but don't see an issue with that by 7-8. Also teaching them to set the table and load the dishwasher. I cannot wait to make that their chore!
I do the laundry at this point and will let the kids take over their own when they want to, or they inconvenience me. DD likes to fold but I don't usually have the patience so I try to get it all done when she is occupied elsewhere.
We lean heavily on the coddling side, but I think I encourage self sufficiency.
|
|
NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
Posts: 48,104
Member is Online
|
Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Sept 1, 2016 14:26:39 GMT -5
I don't think it's ever too late to learn how to cook. I never showed much interest when I was younger. I learned to cook in my 20's because when I moved in with DH he lived off hot pockets and canned peas. I had to learn to cook to survive! I've started taking an interest in baking in the last year while I was unemployed. Not a very good baker.
|
|
Anne_in_VA
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:09:35 GMT -5
Posts: 5,547
|
Post by Anne_in_VA on Sept 1, 2016 18:55:19 GMT -5
I learned to iron around 9 or 10 and did my stepfather's dress shirts at around 12 or 13. After my mom got remarried when I was 12 and had my brother a year later, I watched him and my younger sister after school since both mom and SD worked as did older sis. I had to make sure my little sister did her homework, get my brother from the sitter (across the street), and start dinner.
I'll never forget how the gas stove blew up when I was lighting it. Burned off my lashes, eyebrows and about an inch of my hair. Got a pretty bad burn on the hand that I was lighting the stove with. I don't think I was allowed to cook on that stove after that.
Fortunately we moved from that house not long after.
|
|
cronewitch
Junior Associate
I identify as a post-menopausal childless cat lady and I vote.
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 21:44:20 GMT -5
Posts: 5,979
|
Post by cronewitch on Sept 2, 2016 23:14:30 GMT -5
Our family kids start young learning to cook and progress slowly. My brother had a grandson overnight at 2 and when asked what he wanted for breakfast said french toast but demanded he would do it himself. His dad is a chef so the kid had no problem making french toast. My mom broke both ankles when the grand kids were 8-6 or so and they stayed to take care of her. They could make frozen pizza and omelets with no adult supervision. Dad would play a game he called maid with 4 grand kids, each day two of them would be the maid for the day so had to do all cooking and anything else dad wanted done, mom was working. He would have kids as young as 5 making dinners with things like potato salad. He would supervise but they had to do all the work except anything dangerous like he would chop onions but they needed to chop cooked potatoes and cooked eggs he would remove pans from the stove for them. It took them hours to make a small amount of potato salad but dad was retired and had all day. For some reason the grandkids liked being the maid and getting his attention all day, fetching him coffee, cooking whatever. Once a year he tipped them like $100 for a half cup of coffee, they were impressed. He would take them to the bank to deposit the checks and sometimes the teller would cash the checks and let them hold the money before depositing it. Our generation was doing things like helping with home canning at 4-5 years old, shucking corn mostly but by 12 I was canning my own pumpkin from my garden without supervision, mom said you grew it you need to can it. Even my great niece with down syndrome was learning to cook young, grandma would ask her what do we do first to make pancakes, what is next? Her brother was about 7 and ran the griddle but she helped mixing the batter.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 14, 2024 9:21:25 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2016 1:43:22 GMT -5
I'm the idiot who stuck a pie cutter into her foot/ankle because she was bored and her mother was on the phone so let's just say it was a LONG LONG time before the parents trusted her with a sharp blade. If ever... Still shouldn't since I sliced a chunk of finger off when cutting a piece of tile 10 years ago. Laundry, eh. I think I was about 16 or so. Microwaves weren't a big thing until my later teen years so not a big deal. Had to teach my dad to use it.
|
|