Today I lied to my children; and I bet you'd have done the same.

[motherinferior]

The Inferiorettes 'helped' me cook today. And, mindful of the importance of Imparting Cooking Skills At Mother's Knee (not that you've seen my knees, of course)I put on my usual Oscar-winning peformance of darlings, that's marvellous and you're so helpful and it makes all the difference...biting back my sense of horror as our never very immaculate kitchen vanished under the debris that only a five and three year old can produce...

So tell me, was I wrong, eh?

I think you are bloody marvellous to even let them do it. I just don't go there - and that's even worse!

No, of course you should lie. I lie to my 3 year old all the time ("MMM yes I would love a half eaten, saliva-basted crisp, that was delicious but I am full now")

They actually ask to help, and I can't face telling them the truth (which is that I rather like cooking and have refined the art of getting on with it quickly and really quite tidily).

tis not a real lie in their world they were brillant ( it is the joy of cooking as a child to get flour everywhere and eat the ingredgients

yeah I would have done the same

Y'see, I'd say 'no, go and play on the trampoline/ride your bike/watch TV'

When they are older I'll let them help - honest

Actually I only let ds cook when it is something with little chopping to be done - he does mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, peppers and cucumber, I do potatoes carrot and onions. He is very good at it considering he is only 3!

I would have done the same too. At least whilst your cleaning up the debris you can be safe in the knowledge that you made them feel good.

Well done.

I had "help" with breakfast this morning........chop the mushroom in half darling, no in half, no in half, oh how lovely I have never had diced mushrooms for breakfast.

You gotta do, what gets you through.

Our kids like to help all the time. I've had tea with 4 tea bags in, cakes with bizarre quantities (ie misread recipes), bread dough all over the floor and kitchen cupboards, a smoothie which was made with the lid OFF and funnily enough was plastered over the walls etc etc.

As my mother used to say, all part of life's rich tapestry, so go ahead and lie through your teeth. I do!

DD and ds helped me make soup, bread and pizza yesterday. I then spent about an hour clearing up the aftermath (dd decided to see what would happen if she blew on a pile of flour).

not so much a lie, more creative interpretation

I let them (through gritted teeth) because otherwise would feel a traitor banging on about Good Food And Getting Children Involved.

Actually,I tell a lie.Mostly I announce to dh that he will be cooking with the children.
Present fave is chocolate shortbread (but oh Jeeezuz,the floor afterwards)

I was beside myself with joy the other day to arrive at dd's after school childminder and find them both arsing about with Play Doh!
I obviously picked a good 'un!

hmm no i dont gush if its crap tbh MI

id say " lets keep some ont he worksurface" ratehr tersely adn throw in a few well dones
but no not gush

I find gushing quite easy. It hides the guilt of my secret fury at it all.

are you tersely gushing then?

I was snorting derisively at some article on La Cuisine pour les petits run by Raymond Blanc at his gaffe for about £3000 for a day.

He was banging on about Getting Children Involved.
Huh! It's not him chiselling rock hard pastry off the light fittings.

I consider it role-play, frankly, the gushing. It bears very little relation to the actual achievement.

I can't bear cooking with my children - it's the mess and chaos and flour on the floor and egg on the ceiling and oh, just generally getting in my way when I could be quietly getting on with it and singing along to a Carpenters CD or somesuch. I do let them help sometimes though - but never when I have PMT.

I've told this story on MN before but when ds1 was about 4 he made me a cheese sandwich. I was very pregnant with ds2 and had been half dozing on the settee when this plate was plonked in front of me. I was really touched - he'd sneaked off very quietly and made it All By Himself. Then he announced, proudly, "and I know I'm not allowed to use sharp knives, Mummy - so I bited the pieces of cheese off."

Mmmm...bread, cheese with teethmarks, and a generous dollop of saliva. Best cheese sandwich I never ate.

lol Martha!

Oh, moo...

(I'm always really really touched by stories like that which give an insight into the dear little thought processes. Soft, moi? )

(NB I was not soft and touched when it was my own kids doing it )

When I was little my gran always used to bake scones and pies on a Saturday afternoon. I would "help" her and make some special treat for my dear grandad which would go in the fridge for him to eat "later", ie to go in the bin when I'd gone home. I never cottoned on to what happened and thought it was great that I was helping out.

La,I'm sure it didn't go in the bin.
He would have eaten it with love!

marthamoo that story really made me smile i ahve to admit i would have probably groaned if dd1 had done the same and i wouldnt have eaten it either