Words & Photography
by
Alexandria Smith
My big girl who loves to bake. Her favorite days are the ones I give her free rein in the kitchen to create and experiment as she pleases.
I've had so many mamas reach out about how we got to this place, and I get it...the idea of letting your seven year old loose in the kitchen can be a bit of a frightening thought (mostly because of the mess, amiright?) But honestly, it's just been the absolute best watching her grow in creativity and confidence. What worked for us was just having them all in the kitchen with me from a super young age. They cut with their safety "knives," learn measurements and flavor marriages, and gain comfort being there by working alongside me.
She's not only engaged in practical application, but also learning it's okay to make mistakes, and how to handle those feelings that can feel like failure right at first.
About a year ago I started letting Daphne work alone in the kitchen. It usually takes a couple of hours, and she knows she just has to put everything away and leave it cleaner than she found it...so far so good! I watch her float away from the tangible world around her into a place of make believe as she works, and it's just one of my favorite things. She's not only engaged in practical application, but also learning it's okay to make mistakes, and how to handle those feelings that can feel like failure right at first.
It's a scary thing to release little bits of control into the open hands of our children, but what a gift to observe how beautifully they handle that freedom.
