Getting My Stubborn Duck in a Row
So, the title of this post. It, of course, refers to Isabelle. On my quest to get Isabelle to try to eat more vegetables, I thought I’d bring her more into the cooking process. Hmmm…stubborn duck. That would work for Alan as well.
But anyhoo…back to what I was saying, getting Isabelle into the cooking process.
Isabelle will usually help me with baking. She’s a great little mixer. And she loves adding ingredients to the bowl. But she’s never been at the stove top.
I am a worry wart. I worry that she’d burn herself. Then one day, Alan mentioned his coworker’s kid, who is younger than Isabelle, making stuff at the stove top. And, so, I thought, well if that kid can do it, Isabelle can too.
Ok, so on that particular day and that particular picture we were NOT making something with vegetables. But she was at the stove top.
She was actually making Cinnamon-Espresso Churros (minus the espresso):
Bwa ha ha! So healthy. 
Ok. Seriously. We have been trying. She made this homemade pizza practically all by herself. She poured all the ingredients in and rolled it herself. She put on the sauce and cheese and even the “tomato explosions”.
Did she eat the tomatoes? Um…NO. But she ate the rest of the pizza that DID have tomato sauce on it. Well…a step at a time, right?
That’s awesome she ate the tomato sauce! It’s actually really healthy, with lots of cancer-fighting lycopene and plenty of vitamin C and fiber.
So good job!
Also, Annalie has been helping Troy make pancakes at the stovetop, and stirring sauces and such for me, since she was younger than Isabelle, and she’s only burned herself once.
Well done for letting her loose at the cooker .
Just remember, kids don’t put themselves in danger. They will climb tree but wont let go incase they fall out the tree. They teeter over the edge of the pool but not too far cos they know they will fall in…. it’s all part of the learning process. Children remember these process through doing and experiencing rather than adults repeatedly telling them again and again about the dangers. yes we know all about them but kids don’t. Without letting them explore and experiment within their own limits there is the danger that they become over the top risk takers whoch alsi is dangerous.
Good for you for letting go of your own fears and letting her cook. Parenting isn’t easy and in my own experience, letting my kids take calcualted risks was the biggest learning curve for me. Everything worked out fine and even if a minor injury occured, it was never repeated as they learned from it.
I just asked a co-worker and there are books which shows you how to get kids to eat veggies and fruits. Check it out on Amazon. There are tons of them, but the one is by Jessica Seinfeld. Good luck! Oh, I’m going to be at Heather Farms this weekend so if you want to watch Marie swim, let me know and I can tell you approximately when she is schedules to swim.