I do a Facebook live broadcast every Thursday at 12 pm on the Not Your Average Mom Facebook page.
I told the kids I’d get lunch ready for them after I was done with today’s live, and Number 5 and 7 asked if they could make lunch instead.
That sounded good to me!
Rather than just make lunch, they leveled up a little bit and made a restaurant.
They came in during my FB Live to take my order.
(I recreated some of these pictures after the fact).
They made a menu for me to choose from.
I went with the water and the veggie sandwich with a side of vegetables and ranch (I asked if they’d add in a slice of lemon to my waterd, which they did).
Refreshing, right?
I’m not gonna lie. It was pretty nice having lunch delivered to me.
They also brought me some garlic bread, but I ate it before I took a picture.
The sandwich didn’t look like much on the outside.
But the inside was pretty delicious.
The girls also made lunch for their sister and themselves.
But they left their brothers out.
We’l have to work on that.
After my FB live was done, I brought my lunch into the dining room and sat down with Number 5 and 7.
Number 6 (9 years old) saw the sandwiches they were eating, and he brought all the fixings to the table and made lunch for himself.
It’s funny what a seeing your siblings being proactive and independent does to a kid.
After we were done eating, Number 5 said to me,
“Mommy, I’m proud of myself.”
YES.
Giving your kids opportunities and responsibilities helps them see how capable they are.
It develops inner strength and character and independence and pride.
“I’m really proud of you, too,” I told the girls. “Thanks for making my day a little easier.”
“Can we make lunch every Thursday and Friday?” Number 7 asked.
“YOU BET!!!” I told them.
I’m sure the novelty will wear off a little bit after they make a few lunches.
But keeping it fun like this is one way to encourage them to help out.
I’m looking forward to lunch tomorrow.
Partly because it’s not gonna be made by me.
But mostly because when my kids contribute at home doing this kind of stuff, that creates opportunities for me to do other things with them, and not just for them.
Do you have to lose it to get your kids to help out? My free (and manageable) course will help.
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I went back to work when my daughter was seven and my son was 11. They learned to cook. My daughter and I were gone every Wednesday for gymnastics from 330-630, so my son made us dinner every Wednesday. Yes, it was usually home made fried rice and potstickers, but it was tasty and delivered right to me.
During the 2008 recession when my marriage failed, both of my kids learned to cook as I went back to work. It is a life skill.
Now, my daughter is 16 and she STILL makes me dinner most days. Yay me! And Yay YOU for teaching your kids life skills. 🙂