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As kids, a lot of the things our parents asked us to ro felt like punishments including our daily tasks and responsibilities. And even further, including the things that could be beneficial to us, solely. In fact, almost everything was punishment. From sweeping, mopping, running errands around, reading or writing, sleeping and even eating. It's funny to think about all the theatrics we would oull just so we could evade these little tasks. Some kids even questioned if their parents were theirs and others packed a bag to leave to a supposed 'real/true' parent's house. Lol.
Being the last male child in my household, I didn't just have to face these supposed punishments from my parents but also from my elder siblings. I wasn't a kid who grumbled much, but a lot of tines, i did. Now, look who wished he'd enjoyed the times better then. We all just grow older to realize that childhood wasn't as bad. We learn that every 'punishment' we thought we faced then was actual 'child's play'. Lol.
Cooking was the punishment I couldn't put up with as a child. My parents(my mother in particular) handled most of the meal making at home, but every then and now, she needed us to be involved. I sort of doged the job a lot of times as the mantle easily was placed on the shoulders if any one of my older ones. I could easily feign tired or sick, and being the baby boy, I'd be let off the hook. Well, that continued until my brother's where older, had learned some and I wss of age to serve as the youngest kid.
I disliked kitchen work. The heat, the accidents that may occur in the process, the stress of prepping before meal, the long minutes and spent, the little mistakes that could make a big difference and cleaning up thereafter. Cooking was stressful and too time-consuming, in my opinion. It wasn't like I enjoyed any other task, but I preferred to clean the house or do the dishes. My parents did their bit to ensure we were domesticated. And it wasn't until I was in the university that I appreciated that effort and learned that cooking is a valuable skill.
Getting into university, I thought I could just do away with buying food from the restaurants around. After almost two weeks and my monthly allowance was almost out, I had to rethink. I did my calculations and realized I was spending so much daily on meals that were barely filling. So I put my culinary skills to work. On different occasions, I had to either call my mum or sister to guide me on how to make certain meals, especially soups, since I was only perfect at making spaghetti and rice. A few flops here and there and I got a hang of them all and soon after, I wad saving good money by cooking my tasty meals. I'm still not a cooking lover, but I'm glad that I know Mt around the kitchen and making a good number of meals.