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 am quite happy to have ds1 standing next to me chopping mushrooms and suchlike. Why we give kids flour, sugar and eggs as a 'starter' to cooking is beyond me - all the messiest foods to give to the messiest people!

He likes to cook dinner anyway, we tell him how delicious it is and how clever he is to cook a whole dinner for us.

I try to sound enthused when ds's ask to come and 'help' me cook. I try to remember that all the clever child eating-type books say that if you let them help and they think they've produced it, they're more likely to eat it. Pah! Ds1 will have a great time chopping mushrooms and cheese for a pizza, make patterns, etc. but then not eat a thing "because it's got bits on". Grrrr....

I'm just about OK with DS2 pressing the button on the blender to make soup. That's not very messy and he can do it really well .

I stick by the gushing, as it's a kind of way of diverting the volcanic explosion of PLEASE PLEASE OH PLEASE DON'T, JUST BUGGER OFF. Especially when it's cakes, as Hat points out.

Child eating books Dottie?