I've read that it's important for kids to know where their food comes from. I've also read that should help with dinner preparation as much as possible. I can't really remember why or how , but both things had something to do avoiding childhood obesity. I want my kids to help when I make dinner, but it has nothing to do with health or fighting obesity, I want them to help because some of my fondest memories are of the times I spent in the kitchen with my mom. I always thought I was helping her, but now that I have my own children I can see that my washing the broccoli probably meant my mom had to wipe up the puddle I made on the floor while doing it or that my adding the chopped veggies to the salad probably meant my mom cleaned up the tomatoes and carrots that were thrown on the floor and all around the salad bowl. Sure having help from small kids requires more actual work, but that extra time we get to spend together makes the extra little bit of work so worth the effort. And the other added bonus is that Lena actually eats broccoli when she can say she "made" it! (Maybe that's the part that makes experts say kids preparing dinner helps fight childhood obesity).
