When children handle knives, it can be a stress test for parents. Sarah Wiener explains why children are allowed to take a dig at themselves and why parents absolutely need to relax.
Ms. Wiener, what trick do I use to get children excited about cooking?
You don’t have to perform a dance; children are generally motivated. They love to create something and then dress it up. Parents just need to keep a few things in mind.
Which one?
The first commandment is: stay relaxed. Just bear with the fact that children are slower and that things sometimes make messes. It has to be clear in advance that the kitchen will be messier than usual afterwards.
How much more cooking time are we talking about?
That depends on the child and the age. But you should take into account that children need two or three times as long as we do.
That’s vague.