Making lunch issue

[Jpoy85]

Dh and I disagree on this subject. He thinks our kids are too young to make their own lunch and i feel they can handle it. Its our 6yr old and she can do a PB Sandwich or something similar. Nothing with the stove or microwave. (she cant reach the microwave or i would teach her). Honestly i feel like it gives me a small break and teaches some independence. Its not every day and shes not using a knife or anything that could hurt her (well a butter knife but thats it). Yesterday, I felt like a cold was coming on and she made a PB Sandwich, Carrots, and a yogurt for herself and her sister.

 

What do you think Hive?

[tabrizia]

I think a 6 year old can make a sandwich. Heck I'm teaching my 5 year old how to cook eggs at this point. Not without supervision, but I figure it is something easier to teach when they are young.

[Occasionally]

I think that sounds great. My DS6 gets a great sense of accomplishment when he makes lunch for us. I should let him do it more often!

[plath]

I let my 4 year old make sandwiches. She also cuts up soft veggies and fruit with her crinkle cutter.

[Canadianmumof5]

DS6 LOVES to make meals for himself & anyone else he can.

He prefers to make his own breakfast (toast with Nutella, cereal, juice) and has a (very good) habit of making me a coffee with our Keurig and bringing it up to me first thing in the morning :001_smile:

 

He knows how to warm things in the microwave as well as basic sandwich making, etc.

 

He just likes doing it.

 

If your DD likes doing this - let her! Cultivating independence at this age is a good thing.

 

Have her make lunch for your DH on a weekend, served to him. Maybe he will be able to better understand when he sees how happy she is?

[idnib]

My DS started making scrambled eggs when he was 7. I think my 4 yo could make a messy PB&J if I asked her.

[justLisa]

I don't see why not. Mine won't do anything.

 

Except DS will claim he wants a sub sandwich, raid the fridge, make something the size of a dinosaur and then eat 3 bites.

[carriede]

Have her make lunch for your DH on a weekend, served to him. Maybe he will be able to better understand when he sees how happy she is?

 

And to show him she is capable. Maybe he's having a hard time picturing it all in his mind.

[Dory]

All three of my kids make their own sandwiches and my ds8 is starting to learn how to make a few simple dishes on the stove (with supervision yet). Both of my older two can follow a recipe and make their own muffins, I just put them in the oven for them.

[DawnM]

When I tell the kids to make their own lunches......14 year old will make a sandwich (turkey, cheese and mustard)

 

12 year old will make Mac and Cheese.

 

8 year old will make a sandwich, but will take out the lettuce and the tomato and slice it up and wash it himself. :lol:

[Unicorn.]

Your dh is nuts.

[Jpoy85]

Your dh is nuts.

 

:lol::lol::lol:

[Soror]

My 5 yr does use the microwave and small knives and I don't feel bad about it, she feels very proud and loves to cook. I'd not be too happy w/ dh if he said something similar.

[Anne in CA]

I hope this is not a symptom of a bigger problem. What I mean by that is, hopefully he does not think that you should be doing everything for everyone in the household all the time. I made myself snacks at age six and my kids did too. Because I have one child for whom portion control is a huge issue I fixed lunch until she was 18 and moved away. Otherwise she would have fixed a 2,000 calorie lunch for herself and left the mess all over the kitchen. She was my step dd so I had not control over training her better.

 

My MIL learned how to bake when she was 7 and did all the baking for her family from then on until she married.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

One of my sisters could do the whole family's laundry and cook a 3 course dinner by age 9. A six year old can make a sandwich and get herself some baby carrots, for pity's sake.

 

I have a rule similar to Wendy's. If you don't like what I'm serving, get your own meal. And sometimes they do get their own meals.

 

I've been working on baking and cooking with both of my boys since they were 5-6. They love it.

[Jpoy85]

I dont really know the underlying issue- maybe his mom didnt let him? i dont know. I know by 6 i was using a microwave.

 

I did ask him to let her do more and I get a " ill try". :001_huh:

[Mélie]

My 4 and 5 year olds can make sandwiches, cereal and eggo waffles.

 

Maybe he doesn't want his little girl growing up too quickly?

[kristi26]

Well your DH would hate me then. :lol: My oldest three make their own breakfast AND lunch and we've been doing it this way for years. They are 12, 9, and 6. They often even help the 3 YO. AND DS9 helps make dinner sometimes too!

 

So obviously, I'm with the others who said a 6 YO can totally do lunch.

[justasque]

I dont really know the underlying issue- maybe his mom didnt let him? i dont know. I know by 6 i was using a microwave.

 

I did ask him to let her do more and I get a " ill try". :001_huh:

 

Do you mean that you want him to let her do it when he's on kid duty,

or that you want him to let you let her do it when you're on kid duty?

 

Generally speaking, for stuff like this, whoever's on duty makes the call, but it's not unreasonable to say "Hey DHGuy...Jane has been practicing spreading her own peanut butter sometimes at lunch. She uses the blunt spreading knife - you know that one Aunt Martha gave us? I've found it's a bit more messy, but she's proud to be learning to take responsibility and it's great for her small motor skills."

[GAPeachie]

When my oldest was 6, I didn't.

 

And then I was smacked with the reality of 4 kids, 8 and under and a high risk pregnancy and two bouts of bedrest during that pregnancy.

 

Now my 9 and 6 year old can tackle lunch together. My 9 year old can do it without help, but we let the 6 year old help with getting items out and making sandwiches.

 

The 9 year old can microwave and use the toaster. We haven't tackled the stove but that is mainly due to some issues we are experiencing with our 3 year old.

[SailorMom]

Both of my sons could and would make themselves sandwiches for lunch or bowls of cereal for breakfast by the time they were 3.

This wasn't everyday - but they could do it, and it came in handy :)

[Slartibartfast]

Your dh is nuts.

 

:iagree:

 

:lol: How does he think people learn to cook? Does he think that is something one learns after they move out? My dd is eleven and she can make simple meals. I think kids eat better and have more interest in nutrition when they participate in the meal preparation.

[Parrothead]

At six I think most any kid could make his/her own breakfast and lunch.

 

Bowl of cereal or toast and pb for breakfast

 

pb or ham and cheese, cup of yogurt and a handful of baby carrots for lunch

 

Honestly I think if a cold dinner were planned a 6-year old could do that too.

Greens, pre-shredded parm and a handful of croutons makes salad

Ham and cheese roll ups

Chips

Fruit in hand

 

Bob's your uncle and there is dinner.

[TranquilMind]

Dh and I disagree on this subject. He thinks our kids are too young to make their own lunch and i feel they can handle it. Its our 6yr old and she can do a PB Sandwich or something similar. Nothing with the stove or microwave. (she cant reach the microwave or i would teach her). Honestly i feel like it gives me a small break and teaches some independence. Its not every day and shes not using a knife or anything that could hurt her (well a butter knife but thats it). Yesterday, I felt like a cold was coming on and she made a PB Sandwich, Carrots, and a yogurt for herself and her sister.

 

What do you think Hive?

What does he care? Is he even home at that time?

 

Sure, I'd let her do it if she is interested. That's pretty easy stuff.

[Truscifi]

I think a 6 year old can make a sandwich. Heck I'm teaching my 5 year old how to cook eggs at this point. Not without supervision, but I figure it is something easier to teach when they are young.

 

:iagree: Dh and I are teaching ds8 how to cook a few things on the stove now. He's been making his own sandwiches and snacks since he was 5.

[Mandamom]

Mine started at 3 making sandwiches. Peanut butter and a butter knife were easy for them to handle. As long as I was watching I let them try it out. Actually my one daughter could pour milk at 3 (she's a gymnast) and not make a mess.

[dollhouse]

Your dh is nuts.

 

I wonder if his reluctance to have her make her own lunch comes from his fond memories of his own mother providing a lunch? To me it seems perfectly reasonable to expect a child that age to be able to make a sandwich--it's a life skill, a step toward independence, and a practical "home economics" lesson. But it's also an act of love and nurturing when we cook for one another, right?

[nukeswife]

If your dd is ok with it, then I think it's fine.

 

My kids don't do sandwiches so they rarely got their own lunch before age 8 unless it was cereal. At 8 I start teaching them to use the microwave. I also just taught my older 2 how to make mac and cheese (from a box) and they are almost 11 and 13, but that is mostly because before then they weren't comfortable using the stove.

[Rosie_0801]

Uh, my kids have been scrounging their own meals since they could walk.

 

Not because I don't feed them but because they are both so language delayed that if they got hungry before I'd prepared a meal, it was easier for them to help themselves than to come and ask me.

 

Rosie

[Annie G]

I wonder if his reluctance to have her make her own lunch comes from his fond memories of his own mother providing a lunch? To me it seems perfectly reasonable to expect a child that age to be able to make a sandwich--it's a life skill, a step toward independence, and a practical "home economics" lesson. But it's also an act of love and nurturing when we cook for one another, right?

 

:iagree: Maybe he's ok with her making a sandwich occasionally or even every day if she's making lunch WITH you, but his real objection is that he thinks you're going to have her fend for herself every day at lunchtime. Who knows...perhaps someone at work thinks homeschool moms just play on the internet while their kids raise themselves and he's feeling defensive.

[Denisemomof4]

My kids started VERY young because they wanted to. They enjoy it!!! I think it is awesome whe. Kids learn how to cook/prepare meals. Many teens these days don't even know how.

[freesia]

My 3 year old can make a pb and j sandwich.

 

Maybe you can tell him that whole educational philosophies have preschool students learning to make snacks and lunch.

 

They feel so proud of themselves. I think the sooner they feel useful the better. If they get too used to having done for them all the time they expect it.

[Kathryn]

My 6yo makes and packs his father's lunch. Now, I have quite a few crumbs to clean up usually, but he's perfectly capable of making a sandwich, getting and washing fruit, putting crackers/chips in a bag, etc. I usually make eveyone's lunch who is here, but when I'm sick, he sometimes gets his and his borther's food. Our microwave is too high for him to reach or he'd know how to use it already.

[Ellie]

I made lunch for my dc, and we all ate at the same time.

 

Every man for himself in there making lunch would make me crazy. I figure dc can be proud of something else, lol.

 

I'm not big on children cooking, anyway. If they have to stand on a chair for anything, they're too young to do it. Mr. Ellie, OTOH, loves to cook with children. Good for him. :D

[LibraryLover]

Uh, my kids have been scrounging their own meals since they could walk.

 

Not because I don't feed them but because they are both so language delayed that if they got hungry before I'd prepared a meal, it was easier for them to help themselves than to come and ask me.

 

Rosie

 

 

Yes!

Edited September 22, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Chris in VA]

:iagree: Maybe he's ok with her making a sandwich occasionally or even every day if she's making lunch WITH you, but his real objection is that he thinks you're going to have her fend for herself every day at lunchtime. Who knows...perhaps someone at work thinks homeschool moms just play on the internet while their kids raise themselves and he's feeling defensive.

 

Bold mine.

 

I agree with this. It's one thing to have mom there, cheering you on while you make your sandwich, and quite another, imo, to be left on your own to fend for yourself, in a "Get out of my hair and go feed yourself" way. It's all in the attitude, I think.

[Jpoy85]

I had to laugh at some of the responses. Thanks for the laughs.

I dont let her fend for herself. I mean the kids dont get a 3 course meal for lunch but I do make them lunches. Tomorrow will likely be left over salad from dinner. Sometimes though a quick PB sandwich is just better on certain days ya know?

 

I generally do give the kids quite a bit of slack where he is more strict in some things. We do balance out, but on this issue i didnt know if he was being crazy (it appears he is!, lol)