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Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

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Original poster

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

55 replies

motherinferior · 09/09/2006 13:43

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?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

unicorn · 09/09/2006 20:26

arhh moo - that is so lovely.

Tommy · 09/09/2006 20:30

aah moo - so sweet

We did baking today and I can never remember why I think that's going to be a good idea.....

hoxtonchick · 09/09/2006 20:31

pmsl malory.
i've seen your knees mi. and very nice they are too.

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General parenting

PrettyCandles · 09/09/2006 20:34

It would seem that telling lies to your children is one of the signs of being A Good Mother.

vix5 · 09/09/2006 20:41

Whether its a nightmare letting them help or not im always forced in to the help in the kitchen thing. Just think of those kids on junior master chef! Just how did they get so great? Was it devoted mummies putting aprons on them at 18 months or devoted nannies i wonder. Either way how could i possibly deprive my little monsters of becoming future master chefs......

essbee · 09/09/2006 20:46

Message withdrawn

foxinsocks · 09/09/2006 20:55

ooooh lol marthamoo - I hadn't heard your cheese sandwich story before!

it's hard doing something you enjoy as a fully grown-up proper person with kids - I wonder how long it will be before they can see through our shiny, all-lying outer exterior and read that inner horror!

vix5 · 09/09/2006 20:57

Lying does work, in fact its a necessary part of parenting. However im getting increasingly caught out, terrible twins are 7 and call me up on every little detail. They also know how to tell the time now, so my in a minute is precisely timed!

threebob · 09/09/2006 20:58

I like just making comments about what he has done:

"I like the way you got all the milk into the pancake mix"

which means I can leave the fact that the flour is all over the floor unsaid.

FrannyandZooey · 09/09/2006 21:01

Ooh ooh it's a franny agrees with cod moment

I don't gush either, I get tetchy and say "keep it in the bowl please"

I don't see that general gushing to children is necessary or desirable. I think they see through it far more than you think.

threebob · 09/09/2006 23:06

I just don't like to gush - or what's the incentive to improve, and how would you know that you do need to improve, and what needs improving.

But I don't mind any amount of spilling - their little wrists don't work as well as ours.

thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat · 09/09/2006 23:52

cooking with the kids brings out the control freak in me. I do it quite a lot but it has me teetering on the edge - it's not the mess I mind, it's just that I love cakes, so I want it to taste nice, not like the ingredients have been mixed in decreasing ratios due to constant nibbling, nor like it's not been whisked enough cos 6 and 4 year olds don;t really do whisking. Also it's not something I have to thank them for - they know full well the whole event is for their benefit. So I'm the one that deserves the thanks.

JoolioTooterini · 09/09/2006 23:56

I only ever let mine help when it was actually going to useful like clearing the table, dusting, helping with the washing. Anything that involved getting under my feet was a no, no.

I lack patience!

ScummyMummy · 09/09/2006 23:59

Oh moo- your boy! Sooooooooooooooo sweet.
I'm not great at gushing, I fear.

Gillian76 · 10/09/2006 00:11

Do not gush, but I do understand the acting to get you through the experience...

Am really lol at your cheese sandwich story marthamoo! How wonderful

threebob · 10/09/2006 03:07

Ds has just made a salad from the garden, and he's actually pretty good at not putting the dirt in the bowl. He added some pansy petals.

ghosty · 10/09/2006 07:07

LOL at 3bob with the pansy petals - yum .

I am also a liar when it comes to helping in the kitchen but I definitely can't gush ... I try really hard but it comes out all strangled ... It is more a quiet, "Yes, that's right, put in in the bowl, carefully now, IN the bowl, no don't wave your arm around, oops, IN ... right, well done you ... " with gritted teeth and a sigh of relief when most of it gets in the bowl ...

I dread the 'Oooh, what are you doing mum? Can I help?" My palms get sweaty and I come out in a rash.

The other day I came into the kitchen after my shower ... both children sitting watching telly ... remains of breakfast all over the table + spilled milk and cereal + a trail of milk from fridge to table. DS said, not turning from the telly, "'S alright Mum, I did breakfast for DD and me" ... He is 6 and DD is 2 ... if I just teach him how to make a cup of tea I could stay in bed from now on don't you think???? Mind you, it took me half an hour to clean up the mess

SueW · 10/09/2006 07:10

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

danceswithmonkeys · 10/09/2006 07:18

I subscribe to the ghosty school of cooking with children. I always feel ludicrously smug after doing it and always make a point of telling the grandmas dd and I have 'done cooking'

curlew · 10/09/2006 08:03

Let them help - my dd has loved "cooking" since she was tiny. She is now 10 and on Monday she made all by herself, without any help, a Nigella Lawson chocolate fudge cake AND almost cleared up the kitchen. Not the washing up obviously.......And yesterday she and her little brother went blackberrying, and she made, one again without help, a blackberry and apple pie. There are few parent moments sweeter than sitting with a cup of tea watching a gloriously serious faced ten year old following a recipe SO carefully and then the look of wonder when she got it ot of the oven and it had WORKED!!!!Worth all the years of trashed kitchen.

ProfYaffle · 10/09/2006 08:39

My dd is 2 and insists on helping with everything from toast to cakes and I love it. I'm generally amazed at how little mess she makes for her age. Yesterday I rather foolishly allowed her to crack an egg into a bowl just to see if she could do it or not, needless to say the egg ended up on the floor which resulted in a horrified dd and me roaring with laughter.

She never eats the finished cakes though ...

curlew · 10/09/2006 09:51

Aforementioned dd is now making blackberry muffins -"Go away and look at Ebay or something, mum - I want to do it all by myself!"

Twiglett · 10/09/2006 09:53

aha .. do it often ... wish I didn't have too .. have developed fixed grin

Twiglett · 10/09/2006 09:55

but have not managed to master yet the

"stop eating it .. if you eat any more of the mixture / chocolate drops / flour it won't work .. LOOK I'VE TOLD YOU .. do that one more time and you're going to bed ... RIGHT THAT DOES IT GET TO YOUR ROOM ..."

singersgirl · 10/09/2006 10:00

I can't stand cooking with children. Can't stand the chaos and mess. I do let them help with cakes sometimes - helping measure and pour - but I try to do it all when they're out.

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