There is something about imitating grown-ups and doing what we do that is so satisfying to children.  I cook and bake a lot, so my two and a half year old son is happiest when cooking and baking with me.  I can see how this satisfaction and pure bliss permeates his soul.

His Waldorf preschool teacher put it in perspective for me when she said we feed our children healthy food, but this kind of interaction is nutrition for the soul; it’s not an option for them; they need this in order to grow into healthy, well-balanced people.

I believe if we don’t feed this need, the outcome for this malnourished soul can be mistaken for: naughty behavior, helplessness, neediness, attention seeking or many other symptoms depending on the individual child. It definitely heals these behaviors in my children.  (It’s not only baking with your child that is good food for the soul… I’ll have to write another post on that subject)

Baking with children is not quick and it is definitely messy.  My two and a half year-old son helps measure the  ingredients, sift the flour, crack the eggs (not all of it always makes it in the bowl) and loves to mix.

He likes to get his hands on all of it.  He likes to be totally involved.  I like how he can see the results of his efforts when the cookies or cake comes out of the oven and he gets to eat it.

And I can see how this really helps his self esteem because it makes him feel capable.  My younger one just likes being involved with his hands in something messy.

One of my friends said she doesn’t bake with her kids because she’s not familiar with baking and doesn’t know what recipes are easy for kids.  She asked me what do I bake?  My answer is that I don’t limit our baking to specific recipes just because they are easy or kid-friendly.  I just bake whatever I think my children will enjoy eating.

We make a lot of muffins, bar cookies, cookies that require cookie cutters, pizza dough and occasionally cake if I am making one for someone’s birthday or a special occasion.

I let the table and floor get messy covered in flour, sugar and dripped egg whites.  Another part of the “fun” for my children is cleaning up the mess.  I let them suck up the spilled remnants with the vacuum cleaner, lick the beaters of course and also let them wash the dishes.

They love every bit of it because they are doing “what mommy does”.  In the end we’re all happy and as a bonus, we’ve got a sweet treat to eat.

I say bonus because the reason we bake most of the time is for the entertainment value of the process, not necessarily for the finished product.  I think that is one of the secrets of keeping a child happy– be in the moment with them, enjoy the doing,  and take pleasure in the process.  If we adults could do that more often, our souls would probably be happier too.

Stay tuned… recipes will be revealed when I can find the time to post them.

Your Sensible Girlfriend