There are lots of reasons children should cook. For one, they should grow up and have options outside of "Which heart-stoppingly unhealthy fast food place do I want dinner from tonight?" or "Mmmmm.... boxed sodium insta-meal!" And I *do* so very much want my children to grow up and move away and cook their own meals...
Three of my four children are not even in high school yet. Cooking at this stage of the game is more of a socialization process, and that's a Very Good Thing. They are part of the family, a contributing part of the family, and there is something very viscerally rewarding about providing the basic human needs. They can't really provide shelter, or clothing, or things like that, but they can prepare (or help prepare) meals, and know that they were instrumental in feeding the group. That's a valuable life lesson, and in today's world, where families all too often don't have a whole lot of "together time," I think meals provide a shining opportunity for that sense of interconnectedness to shine through.
I find when I cook for SCA events that many, many MANY people (adults, that is) are sorely lacking in even rudimentary cooking/kitchen skills. This is true for all generations, not just the "Fresh Out of High School" crowd. I know my own generation (I'm almost 38, for the record) tended to have mothers who shooed children out of the kitchen. Meals magically appeared on the table at dinner time, and the kids perhaps loaded the dishwasher afterwards, but they really didn't know how food was prepared. I remember classmates experiencing that flash of panic when they were finally on their own and had to muddle through things like cooking hot dogs without a safety net. (I know, it seems shocking... but I've seen a LOT of burnt hot dogs, and NOT because they were held too close to the fire while camping!). After all, we were the generation born *after* TV dinners were invented. All Hail Destruction Of Cooking Skills!
So, what can be done about it? Well, the Shire of Afonlyn likes to cook... a lot. And we like kids... a lot. (We have a goodly number of them running about. ;) I think we have almost as many children as we do adult members!) We're working on organizing an event for kids (Parents are obviously welcome too, and most of the classes will be designed to have the parents *and* the children working together, just like you would at home) which will include a cooking track for classes where kids will prepare the dishes for the evening's feast. We're looking at doing this in the late spring of 2011, so stay tuned! :)
