For me, Thanksgiving is like my Super Bowl, Birthday and Fourth of July all rolled into one. While it is not my favorite holiday, it is a day when I absolutely love the cooking and food preparation. For years, I have loved planning the menu, the shopping, and the culinary challenges—but all of this cooking and entertaining can pose a parenting dilemma…
Safety can be a big family concern this time of year—with a change in activities, increased traffic and other distractions, this can be a dangerous time of year in the home for many children—starting with the cooking of the Thanksgiving feast.
Small children want to be where the action is and on Thanksgiving that can mean the kitchen. With additional bodies and a long day of unfamiliar food preparation, however, this isn’t the safest place for them. Parents are distracted, the oven is hot, and there are often other appliances in operation that are quite dangerous (food processors, blenders, bread machines, etc.) for unsupervised children. It is a good idea to keep small children out of the kitchen. Older children may want to be help, but should be given tasks that don’t involve such safety risks—tearing lettuce for a salad, hand mashing potatoes, setting the table. Even with my older teens, I find that safety becomes an issue when we get extra helpers in the kitchen at this time of year. I need to remind them about safety concerns, as well as hand-washing, cleanliness, and just generally keep an eye out for carelessness and horseplay while we’re working over the holiday meal.
Even if you are not cooking, but are traveling to a family member or friend’s house—keep small children out of the kitchen and watch them around sharp utensils, candles, and other hazards—accidents can happen anywhere.
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