... to think they should have been supervised?

[itsallslush]

Ready for the flaming... but I want to hear what other people would do.

Is it OK for a 9 yr old to slice bread for toast without an adult around - when he's not been shown how? The 11 yr old was up but DH was still dead to the world (big night out) so they were getting their own breakfast. I was at work. I know bread knives aren't sharp - but also that DC doesn't know a bread knife from a carving knife. Is the answer to teach him which is which - or to get my lazy-arsed DH to get up?

It's not a one off - though it's usually not because of a boozy night, just because he doesn't get up. But things aren't good between us at the moment, so I don't know if that's skewing my view of the whole thing.

How do/did you work out what - and when - kids should do various things on their own?

I think you are being a bit precious. Maybe you could actually teach your child some basic skills rather than make it into a big thing that your DH was not up when they were doing this. I would be a bit concerned if a 9 year could't slice some bread and put it in the toaster. Kids should be taught these basic skills from a young age.

Buy a loaf of sliced and bung it in the freezer. Then they can have toast without slicing bread. Also, bread knives are sharp. DP cut herself with mine last week, although mine is bloody sharp for a bread knife.

My DS is 11. He can make tea, hot chocolate, beans on toast, do oven pizza etc. I show him how, supervise a couple of times then let him get on with it. He can even do his own washing, he did two loads just this morning.

You cant have that attitude though. Mine can do this. I was cooking Sunday roasts at 5 ect ect. All kids are different. I didn't know my arse from my elbow as a kid. I certainly would not allowed my dd around knives unsupervised at 9 years of age, and if that makes me precious. It is what it is.
Its amazing how many people pipe up on here to tell us how super human their kids are.

Yes but starting a wash doesn't pose a possible safety risk though, does it.

And here’s me with my 9 year old sitting outside in the snow with a cup of tea, stripping sticks with a penknife to make arrows......

Is it OK for a 9 yr old to slice bread for toast without an adult around - when he's not been shown how?

how can a child reach the age of 9 without being shown out to slice bread?

I am being serious, my kids started food prep in preschool and reception so all the kids in year 1 have been told at least at school how to use a knife safely.

It's not just breakfast, don't your children cook, cut a slice of cake, of pizza? I am puzzled.

Its amazing how many people pipe up on here to tell us how super human their kids are.

super human? for making toast? really?
Does mine qualifies as a rocket scientist because he can use the microwave?

People generally use knives and fork twice a day, it's not that astonishing to imagine that by 9 years old you have grabbed the concept.

Is he your ex and the children were with him?

It should have been thought out ahead of time and something simple, been planned for breakfast.

But 9 and 11 year olds are fine to organise their own breakfast.

By 9, a child should be able to slice bread, it's not something I'd consider policing, and if they didn't know, I'd expect them to be able to look up bread slicing on youtube and figure it out.

Vito no, DD doesn't cook. I didn't, at 9. And yet when I left home for uni at just-turned 18 I was perfectly capable of cooking for myself.

how can a child reach the age of 9 without being shown out to slice bread? because most people probably don’t want their kids hacking the loaf to practice and would just give them sliced instead. (Unless we’re talking baguette or similar that’s easy to cut).

My ten year old can not only cut the bread but also make the bread. He’s helped me many times and learnt. I think at that age really they should be knowing simple skills like how to cut a loaf and make toast.

also - most people buy sliced bread!

Sliced bread is available. As in the best thing since...

I don't think I could slice bread until my mid-twenties.

RiverTam
making toast is not cooking though, at 9 you eat, and you don't expect adults to cut your food for you, do you?

kids in my very normal state school made soup in reception among other things. They had knives to cut the vegs, including carrots, which would qualify as slightly more challenging than a loaf of bread.
I feel sorry for the teachers if half the class hadn't seen a knife before!

@Chunkymonkey123 DH was fast asleep. They could have been eating Twixes for breakfast for all he knew.

if you buy sliced bread, Vito, then no knife is required to make toast. But anyway, DD always has breakfast with us and as I'm doing toast for me I do it for her, too. As my parents did - my dad always made the breakfast.

how can a child reach the age of 9 without being shown out to slice bread?

Have you ever looked at the bread available in a UK supermarket? I would guess 99% of all bread sold in the UK is sliced. I would imagine the vast majority of UK children have never dealt with an un-sliced loaf.

@Confusedbeetle - I'm on board with teaching them how to do stuff under supervision first. My problem is just leaving them to it.

But I do take the idea I'm overly protective @OutPinked That's why I opened myself up to AIBU!

They should be able to cut bread and make toast at that age. If they don't know what knife to use then they should have been shown. They should be told what NOT to stick in a toaster and provide some wooden tongs.

I'm a lazy mare who likes a lie in so mine needed to learn breakfast making skills early on.

Our bread knife is ridiculously sharp it's fab but 10yo DS isn't allowed to use it by himself although he is allowed to use smaller sharp knives unsupervised- however we also have easily accessible sliced bread so this issue wouldn't arise.
I think you just need to start showing them to do more things as they obviously are going to give them a go so from now on pre-empt by showing them.

@DGRossetti - oh yes they were fine - I get slicing bread in itself is fine. It's because I didn't expect him to have to do it on his own yet that I hadn't shown him - that's also why I didn't buy sliced (that and the fact the baker's bread is much nicer!)

I want them to learn skills at the right age - not to make up for what DH isn't doing!

But a 9 and 11 year old should have these skills by now!

Teach them. They’ll love the independence. My ds is getting stroppy but as I give him more responsibility he calms down.
His latest thing is making and cooking his own pancakes. He’s 9.

I’ve let mine use knives from about 2. The biggest issue is making sure the knives are actually sharp enough!!