The thought of cooking in the kitchen might get you nervous, but getting yourself familiar with cooking has great benefits. When you prepare for meals, you can learn important life skills (技能) and live a happier and healthier life.
It teaches you about healthy eating
Having a balanced diet is a key to keeping healthy. This is especially important for you, whose minds and bodies are still developing. One advantage (优势) of home-cooked meals over takeaway is that your parents can shop for the meal and cook with you. This teaches you what goes into a healthy meal and what isn't necessary.
It gives you a happy time together
Cooking together is a great way to hang out with your parents and chat with them about their day. A weekly family cook-up can provide a great chance to check in with what's going on and how everyone feels.
It helps you to take care of yourselves
When you need to fend for yourselves, it'll be cheaper, healthier, easier and safer if you know how to cook at home. Knowing how to pick a potato or throw together a meal is a valuable life skill to learn. We're not saying you will say goodbye to 2-minute noodles, but it doesn't hurt to try.
When you can shop for, prepare, cook and serve a meal all on your own, it gives you a sense of pride. It might not seem like a big deal, but these small things help you to be more confident. A teen who knows they can look after themselves will be ready to face any difficulty in life.
It keeps recipes (菜谱) in the family
Learning how to cook in your family is a great way to pass on the special family recipes. It provides a chance to talk about the history and culture of your family and gives you a chance to learn more about your family.
