The real reason dads cooking with kids builds relationships.
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People have been gathering around food as long as history has tracked the human race. Traditionally in the modern culture, when you think about food preparation many of us still think about women getting together to cook up the family favorites for everyone to share while they chat it up in or around the kitchen and men hang out around the television. Girls have been taught to cook and boys have been taught to provide and hang out waiting for the food that the females cook.
When I think about what I described above, I laugh at how 60’s ‘ish that scenario sounds. In the microwave world we live in now, many don’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen slaving over hot stoves to provide 4 to 7 course meals. We are the “go to the restaurant and get it” generations. We even sometimes unknowingly are training our kids to think “hey we can still gather, but I’m not cooking it.” Recent news has mentioned a trend that is changing as many people have chosen to start dining in more. So what does that mean for families? Someone needs to learn how to cook, and cook well! A lot of dads are known for their impeccable barbecuing skills but there is this thing called a kitchen we would all benefit from dusting off and using sometimes.
The idea behind Dads Cookin’ with Kids came from some of the work I’ve done with dads who visit with their kids on weekends. Many times due to child support payments that take a large hunk out of their paychecks, they didn’t have a lot left to spend when they wanted to do things with the kids. I wanted to put together something that showed dads (and moms too) that it really is the quality time that kids want and remember. The disney trips are fun but it’s the life long lesson a dad can teach about how to put together meals for your family as you age on a budget that you’ll take with you forever because it’s useful.
Some dads aren’t pros in the kitchen but in today’s fast food world, many moms aren’t either. It’s the try, the mistakes, the ugly pancakes, the burnt sausage that will give you the bond you want with your child. That is what matters. It’s the laughing about how you flam-bayed the wrong food on the stove that will keep you laughing years later. No one has to be the next great baker or Emeril the chef but instead take a moment to simply be the dad that loves his kids enough to try no matter what happens.
This….is the food that bonds! And that food begins with love.
Photo: Jaume Escofet/Flickr
I feel that you’re perpetuating the myth that dad’s can’t cook. I watch a variety of food channel TV shows and there is seldom a time where a women isn’t competing where she stated that men dominate the world of chefs. Last evening my wife and I went to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants where the kitchen is open to the dinning room. All of the cooks/chefs were men. We have a staff of 4 cooks at the facility that I work and all of therm are men. Most line cooks that you see are men. If your… Read more »