The Ulterior Motive in My Pots and Pans, and My Toddler

What possible ulterior motives can one have for allowing a toddler to play with pots and pans?

Guest post by Claire Jennings

And so continued the conversation I did not expect to be having with my husband…

…as our one year old daughter played with pots and pans on the floor.

That’s right, my husband had just accused me of having an ulterior motive with our wonderful, loved child. What’s more, this hidden motive he was so sure of was those pots and pans in our Samantha’s hands.

What could possibly be hidden inside a pot?

Okay, okay, so a lot of things could be hidden inside that pot, maybe a spoon, a lid, Samantha’s sippy cup, or a stuffed animal.

But an ulterior motive? I don’t think so.

Jump back into the history of me, (isn’t it fun to think of the history of oneself) and you will find someone who has always loved to cook. Dinner might be served at 10 or 11 o’clock, but it was going to be homemade.

Okay, so l love cooking. There is no crime in that, unless, of course, I am sneaky in getting Samantha to love cooking. That is exactly what my husband accused me of doing!

Let’s look at the facts for a minute:

• I skipped the rice cereal stage, and made all of Samantha’s baby food. And why shouldn’t I? It is easy and better for her.
• As soon as Samantha showed an interest in food, I shared food with her. From 6 months on, Samantha went food shopping with me every day. After all, it is a great learning experience.
• As soon as spring came, I started taking Samantha to the Farmer’s Market and then to you-pick farms. Isn’t the fresh air and exercise good for her?
• Also at 6 months, I started showing Samantha how to cook by holding her while I was cooking. If she was in the kitchen with me, I needed less baby gates, so it was only natural. Who am I to say she can’t help.
• When I wasn’t holding Samantha, I let her play in the cabinets. After all, it was way simpler to move the breakables and dangers out of the way than it was to actually lock all my cabinets.

When you look at it, really, I was just taking the easy route.

What’s so wrong with having an ulterior motive for this adorable toddler?

After all, it is far easier to just mash-up some food for Samantha that I was eating anyways than to buy and store special food just for her.

And who wants a crying baby at the baby gate when she could be happily playing with pots and pans at my feet?

Really, it is just common sense.

But here is my husband, telling me that I have an ulterior motive to make Samantha love cooking.

Sure, Samantha’s toy pots and utensils are some of her favorites.

Sure, while most kids are pretending “phone”, she is pretending “cook” and bringing imaginary food for her daycare teachers to eat.

Sure, she knows just where in the store those blueberries are, and makes sure to add some to our cart each week. Sure she is helping me in the kitchen at the age of 13 months.

But an ulterior motive? I don’t think so.

My motives are right there for everyone to see. I love cooking, and want to share this love with Samantha.

In fact, I love it so much I have a blog to share this love with as many families and children as I can.

There is nothing hidden about my motives. I can’t help it if my husband did not see them to begin with.

What about you?

What motives do you have that your children or spouse may not be fully aware of? How do they positively influence your children’s lives?

Author bio:

Claire is a cook, wife, and mother who cares deeply about the foods of today and their impact on our children. She is the founder and creator of the blog Your Child’s Food and the Your Child’s Food 1 Year Challenge.

Photos supplied by Claire Jennings