A tween in my kitchen

H burnt his fingers recently while cooking, quite literally. As he was scraping the egg off the pan, he caught it with his hand to steady it, forgetting how hot it would be. We did the whole cold water-ice routine. Once the burning sensation subsided he was fine but for a blister on his thumb and index finger.
I’ve mentioned this before, H loves to potter around in the kitchen. However, as he’s growing up he’s beginning to brand a lot of things he once enjoyed ‘girly’, and has started staying away from them. I wrote about it at Parentous here when I talked about peer pressure and how it can change the kids.
He gave up playing with his kitchen set ages ago and doesn’t seem inclined to hang out with the pots and pans. When his friends are around he adopts this macho air and pretends to be all grown up which I find kind of cute, though he’d never forgive me if he heard me say so.

After his adventure in the kitchen I was curious to know what he’d tell his friends about his hurt fingers, whether he’d admit to being in the kitchen at all.

When they dropped by later in the day there he was brandishing his thumb, showing off his blister like some kind of a trophy. And he was saying, with absolute pretend nonchalance, “This is nothing I just burnt my fingers while I was helping my mother in the kitchen.”
The awed looks on his friend’s faces made me let out a sigh of relief. I can say with some confidence that along with cricket and computer games cooking remains macho in the tween world.
These kitchen adventures are all towards the fulfilment of one single dream of mine – that there’ll come a day when the kids will wake up on their own, make a healthy breakfast for themsleves, dress up and go to school while I’ll laze in bed. What?? One can dream.

21 Replies to “A tween in my kitchen”

  1. I am glad as a Mum you are willing to develop that interest in things that are considered girly. And I know it's hard. Not all Mums are like you so there will be few who will say, go sit and I will get your egg.
    May your dream come true.

  2. Oh yes, coooking and helping around at home is totally cool in the tween world. And I am really glad that both the senior and the junior love donning the aprons in the kitchen and do a reasonably good (actually great!) job. I am already living that dream. And I sincerely wish the same comes true for you too, Tulika. I am sure it will! 🙂

    1. I think you should. You should feel a bit like Jhansi ki Rani when an accident happens in the kitchen oh and do show it off to :-).

  3. Yaay to your parenting I would say 😀 It must be so awesome to watch his little hands work in the kitchen 😀
    ROFL … you dream!! 😛 Well good luck!!

  4. Both my sons like to try their hand at cooking. The younger son can make half fried egg and toast. The elder son can do more including chopping salad, making tea, maggi. He also can put the rice in the rice cooker. Luckily, they have inherited my love for food. Plus, dad also cooks quite well though not as often as I would like him to. 😉 I can see it as a dream that can come true. These days, Masterchef has made cooking glamorous. Good for us, right?

    1. Interestingly cookery shows are mostly a men's arena even while cooking is considered a woman's task. Good for your kids. Why didn't I think of Maggi? That's another thing I can pass on to them right away.

  5. Just a minute before I read your post, a male blog buddy informed me on chat that he made perfectly round chapatis ("with aata"!) yesterday! 😀
    The Martians are finally learning to become humans! 😛
    I have a feeling your dream is going to come true very soon! 😉

  6. My almost 17 year old can create his own breakfast and I am so proud. In our absence, he has prepared food for himself and the younger one. But it helps a lot that they can do this. Soon it will be the turn of the younger one. My husband also does a lot of cooking. Boys need to see men cooking. That makes it cool.

    1. You should be proud. It's sweet of him to look out for the younger one. I agree boys need to see men cooking. Unfortunately my husband isn't into cooking and that makes it a bit tough but we'll get there some day.

  7. There you go dashing my dreams :-D. There really is something about moms that brings out the lazy us. They're somehow always there to do things for you – moreso for you with a little baby now. You need that break.

  8. Sure you can dream – just don't be too surprised when it comes true. Note I said when not if! I grew up in a family where men loved to cook. (didn't marry one who loves to cook though, haha). More power to H and you! I do think boys should cook!

  9. I'm so glad to see this. We need more boys in the kitchen. V cooks smashingly well and it's all because of his parents who encouraged him to try everything. How cute that his macho sense is fueled by that kitchen injury 🙂

    1. I agree, cooking, at least the basic bit, is essential. Besides, how will they get to find out of they even have a talent for it if none of the boys ever get into the kitchen?

  10. What a relief that not quite everything is embarrassing yet, especially when he can sport a blister of such caliber and brag about it to his friends!

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