Knives

Number 2 has been showing more interest in the kitchen and she desperatly wants to use a "real" knife like her brother, but she tends to be a little scatter brained and she makes me nervous around sharp objects.  Liam has been using a knife since he was three and has always been very careful.  Aggie on the other hand is now four and is far from careful, with anything.   When teaching Liam I can show once and know he will follow, with Aggie she wants to experiment and figure out how to do it by herself.  Experimentation is a great way to learn many things, but I am finding it very difficult to let her experiment with a sharp knife and there are only so many things we can cut with a butter knife.  I finally gave in and let her use Liam's knife to cut up squash and carrots for dinner.  I tried many times to show her how to properly hold the knife and food, but she was not going to listen and was determined to do it her way.  We had a variety of slice sizes, but there were no cuts in anything but the squash, so it was a successful first attempt.  She helped at the stove for a little, but quickly turned her attention to her favorite part of cooking, doing the dishes.  And while I am hesitant to let her do many things in the kitchen, I will never say no to somebody who offers to do the dishes, especially now that our dishwasher is out of commison.