Tools for tots

This, my dears, was one of my favorite "toys" as a child. Yes, it is a meat cleaver that's over 20 years old. Before you label my parents as terrible terrible people let me explain.

Yes, knives, can be extremely dangerous and should not be handed to children without proper training and not before they're mature enough to handle it. I started using this beauty when I was around 4 years old. My mother was always willing to let me help her in the kitchen. She didn't hesitate to let me hold the knives, but before she did, she showed me how to use them. That's the difference right there. Rather than try to make me afraid of the knives, or make them seem like forbidden fruit, she showed me how to use them! I immediately fell in love with the cleaver, of course, since it was so big and looks SO COOL (okay, so I still love big knives...). As far as I can remember, I only cut myself a couple of times with the knives, and that was because they'd gotten a bit dull and slipped. As a small child, I loved grabbing the cleaver and carefully and meticulously chopping the veggies for meals. I don't condone handing any random child a knife and letting them go to town, but I do recommend educating your children on how to use things that are potentially dangerous, so that they don't hurt themselves out of curiosity mixed with ignorance. My mother explained that the knife is sharp and can hurt you badly, but if you use it properly and don't treat it like a toy, it won't give you problems. She showed me how to sharpen it, and told me that dull knives are more likely to hurt you. All of this at 4. I remember every bit of it, even now.

Momma built my confidence, rather than instilling fear. Those initial lessons are the reason why you're here visiting this blog (thanks for that, by the way). For me, learning how to chop stuff up was one of the first steps along the way to becoming a foodie. Being part of creating the meals that fed our family made me fall in love with food. Even the youngest little chefs can get busy in the kitchen. 2 year olds can wash veggies, 3 year olds can tear lettuce for a salad, the possibilities are endless! Heck you can utilize a toddler's love for throwing and shaking things and have them mix up some yummy salad dressing sealed tightly in a plastic jar. Get your babies in the kitchen, you'll never regret it. Years from now, you could be relaxing on the couch watching your favorite TV show while pots and pans are banging together in the kitchen and a FEAST is being prepared in your honor by that very chef YOU trained.