There are a lot of mistakes I have made as a parent. But one thing I am determined NOT to fail at is training my daughters in the area of homemaking.
Considering that I got married not even knowing that you had to drain the macaroni when making mac n cheese (Yes the blue box kind. Yes, I know it had directions on the back. But I knew it all then. Ok!?), or that freezing a family pack of hamburger wasn’t a good idea, or that if I put melted candle wax down the drain it will harden and clog it…well you get the picture.My husband was a far better home maker than me, and that was really embarrassing. I had to learn the hard and fast way. And learn I did, but it was a tough few years (sorry honey!).
I want better beginnings for my girls. And just a note, it wasn’t my moms fault I wasn’t trained. She was an excellent homemaker, and she tried. But I decided at the tender age of, oh 10, that house work was not for me. I was going to be rich and hire a maid. And I honestly believed that. Then I fell in love, got married, and we had no money for a maid.
Thankfully my girls are much more teachable than I was. So one of my goals is for them to be flourishing, accomplished homemakers when they fly the nest. And homemaking is one of those things you just have to learn by doing.
So one day out of the week, I assign my oldest daughter (14) to cook our dinner, from start to finish. She has to choose the ingredients, see what we have on hand, make sure it is thrifty, tasty, and healthy, and prepare it, serve it and clean it up. She also is responsible for one breakfast each week. I knew I would have a maid someday, except this one is free. Just kidding, just kidding.
Lest you think I am a mean mom forcing my lovely daughter to a miserable evening of kitchen duty, think again. She loves it. And the teachable moments that have arisen that I never would have thought to teach have been invaluable. I can honestly say it has been one of the best things I have ever done!
What’s on the menu tonight? Yummy Ritzy Chicken. See it cooking up all pretty?
And now she is making breakfast: Banana Muffins! Yum!
Its a win win situation. She learns all the cooking skills, we have a yummy meal, and I get a night off from the kitchen! It works for me!
{ 13 comments }
Yes and there’s an added bonus too!!! Sometimes our daughters are better at it than us (:o)
Oh, it sounds like we are a bit similar! When I first got married 4 years ago (in 3 days!) I was completely clueless. I am still somewhat clueless but learning more every day! My mother was a completely well rounded homemaker and she tried with us! She can bake, cook, sew, knit you name it she does it! I hope to follow in her footsteps myself with my daughter (2 years) coming along behind
Yeah! My daughter (13) and son (10) do this together every Saturday night.
They’ve been doing it for about a month now. It is great to get them to come together and do this.
How sweet! I must admit that my mom too tried and lost the battle to get me to be a homemaker. After I got I married I had no idea what I was doing. My poor, poor hubby had to bare with me until I learned. I love him so much for sticking with me. Now, I refuse to put my daughters through that. They will have a good start on homemaking and happy husbands as well.
I love that you are doing this! It is a goal of mine as well.
Like you, I knew absolutely nothing about homemaking when I got married and sometimes feel like I still have so much to learn!
Good for you! I’m teaching my kids early, too. Homemaking has to be taught just like math, science, etc..
Bravo! This is the way to go! It has thrilled us to watch our adult children step into independent lives fully capable of taking care of themselves, and even offering hospitality to others!
Wow….I”m so proud for you and them.
I have two teen girls….they are learning slowly. I plan to kick it up a notch this summer. Thanks for the inspiration!
Great post, Stephanie!! I think it’s not only a necessary thing we should pass on to our daughters (how to manage a home) but a Biblical thing as well!! Good for you and good for her!!!
I am heading in this direction, although my oldest is only nine. We have much more to accomplish in the kitchen, but she is excited to learn and that is the bottom line, I guess. It is fun to see your daughter so accomplished : ) That is encouraging.
Amy Ellen at HealthBeginsWithMom.com
good for you I married young as well and had limited kitchen knowledge and decided I would train both my girls and boys
It’s nice to know that the home arts are still being passed on. I think it’s sad that so much of that is lost, and so many kids aren’t going to know the joys of cooking from scratch, or sewing, or even folding laundry. (I’m weird…I actually like folding laundry.) I don’t think you are a mean mom at all! I think you are sweet to let your daughter experience things for herself, right down to making her own decisions about what to serve.
I’ll tell you, it isn’t just for girls. I have one daughter (now 24) and three sons (18, 22 and 26.) The older one moved out a year ago. He won’t touch that blue box stuff, and makes most of his food from scratch. When we visited his grandma in Ohio last summer, Michael made it a point to watch how she made her world-famous beef stroganoff. My daughter and other sons do a lot of their own cooking, too. Katherine is moving into her own apartment (the upstairs of a neighbor’s house, so she’s still close) and she’s already got plenty of kitchen skills to take with her.
If you train You will reign! I think it is amazing that my 14 year old daughter can make bread from scratch…I couldn’t even flip an egg when I got married. Thank God He gave us a different mind set.
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