Letting your Children Cook a Meal (With a Secret Ingredient)

Dinner is served.

 A fun thing at my house is when the children cook dinner. It's fun for them because they get to try a new chore and cook something they know they'll enjoy. It's fun for me because I get a night off from cooking. Dishes? Probably not, but I do get a night off from cooking.

Sometimes the cherubs cook using ingredients that are already in the house, other times I'm driving children to the store to procure the necessary ingredients. There was one specific day The Oppressed wanted to make dinner. This was an interesting proposition, since The Oppressed is a vegetarian. I, a proud and eager carnivore, was a little apprehensive as to what my youngest daughter may be planning for that night's meal.

Buying (and Paying for) the Groceries

The shopping list with
the "secret ingredient".

The menu of the evening required a trip to the grocery store. As a stay-at-home parent, this didn't faze me. I'm at the grocery store almost every day. This time, however, The Oppressed had some parameters to this particular trip. She had specific ingredients that needed to be procured for dinner. One of these ingredients was a secret. No one, not even her father, who was driving her, helping collect the things for dinner, and (ahem) paying for the groceries could know what this secret ingredient was. When we got to the aisle, I was made to close my eyes. A jacket was placed over the secret ingredient to make sure no one knew what The Oppressed had found.

We got to the checkout. Again, we were faced with something of a conundrum. You see, I was the one paying for the groceries, all of them, including the secret ingredient. The Oppressed had a solution for this. I would give my daughter the money and then cover my eyes. She pays for the secret ingredient and takes the bag and hides the secret ingredient. I then pay for the rest of the groceries.

Is this the Right Amount?

"Yes, like it or not, this is a relationship based on trust."

We walk out of the store. The Oppressed hands me the change.

"Is this all of the change?" I ask.

"Yup," she tells me.

"Are you sure?' I ask. "Let me see the receipt."

The Oppressed plunges her hand (with the receipt) into her pocket. She refuses to let me see it. I'll just have to take her word that she gave back the correct amount of change. I can't see the receipt. I won't know how much was spent or if I got the right amount of change back. Yes, like it or not, this is a relationship based on trust.

Time for Dinner

We return home. The Oppressed promptly starts her chore of cooking dinner. I ask if she needs any help. She doesn't. Is she sure? Is there anything she needs added to what's cooking while she's busy with something else.

"Dad!" she says, "Everything is fine. Go away!"

I guess she didn't need my help. I find something else to do.

I wait like everyone else for dinner to be ready. When it's ready, we all assemble into the kitchen for a meal cooked by The Oppressed. It's a fantastic meal and we all enjoy it. The Oppressed did a great job with dinner, and we all tell her so.