When Your Child Doesn't Want To Help

YouTube Video Tutorial:

Feisty Fajitas

Let's be honest, there are days when I do not feel like cooking. Cooking for me is not a hobby, but a part of life that I accept and do because I value living a healthy lifestyle for myself and my family. It therefore stands to reason that my kids on any given day may or may not feel like cooking as well, and that is totally normal.

Despite what moods may circulate through our home, cooking and contributing to the family team remains nonnegotiable (I do on rare occasions make exceptions). In my experience, the quality of food you eat has just as much impact on your ability to think clearly and function properly as quality sleep. Although it can be frustrating and annoying to work with a child (or multiple children) who are grumpy and reluctant to help, excusing them from the kitchen to go play will only perpetuate the problem.

I debated long and hard about whether or not to edit this video, but I want people to see that my kids don't always want to cook. As cute as Olive is, she is still a very typical three year old who has her own ideas for the day and what she wants to do. We don't just cook together when it's convenient or when we are having an awesome day and I have time for it. Nope. We do it on the worst of the worst days (believe me, I've been there often in the past four months) because I know that if I get out of the routine or if I let my children get out of the routine that it will be that much harder to get going again.

Building grit and learning how to persevere means doing the hard stuff, even when you don't feel like it. Life will always be filled with things we don't want to do, but as I have learned from my own life, especially during the most challenging times, digging in and just doing it really really does help. The more you do the things you don't want to do, the easier they become. It becomes a way of life, a way being and doing, doing hard things becomes a part of you.

So, if your child is grumpy and doesn't want to help don't get discouraged, don't give up and don't give in. Create the happy, find something about what you are doing that is fun. Praise their efforts and remember to have joy in the journey.

We took this on the go to Benson's baseball game and it was a hit.

Recipe:

1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
1 Yellow or Orange Bell Pepper,  sliced into strips
1 Red Bell Pepper,  sliced into strips
1 Small Yellow Onion, cut in half and then into thin pieces
1 1/2-2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, sliced into bite size peices
1 Packet Favorite Fajita Seasoning
1 Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Combine bell peppers, onion, and chicken on a baking sheet. Add fajita seasoning and drizzle olive oil over the top. Then toss everything together. Cover and store in your fridge until dinner time. Then bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Add a stack of tortillas wrapped in foil to the bottom oven rack 5 minutes before fajita mixture is done. Remove from the oven and add black beans on the top. Serve with your favorite toppings such as lettuce. guacamole, sour cream, and salsa (check back soon for my favorite dressing to go with this dish).

Great Jobs For Children Include:

Transferring bell pepper slices from the cutting board to the baking sheet
Spreading the bell peppers around before adding the oniona and raw meat
Opening seasoning packet with scissors
Sprinkling seasoning with a 1/2 teaspoon or small spoon
Helping you toss all ingredients using tongs or a fork
Rinsing the beans in a strainer