Dinner, its not at a drive up window

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   wpaceposted 13 years ago

   Why is it that people dont cook dinner anymore for the family?   I find it disturbing that  most parents opt for the drive up window then  taking  20 - 30 minutes to prepare a simple meal.  A little planning goes a long way and probably would save you a bunch of money  in the long run.  I work part time but even on the days I work i still come home and make dinner for my family.  Take it out in the morning and defrosted by the time i get home.   We save eating out for weekends and Friday night it is our special thing we do as a family.  It saves me about  150 USD a week that is not being spent.

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      auspicious12dayposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I totally agree with you. Homemade food is so delicious.
      Fast food, as we all know, is not healthy. Besides, bonding with the family is important. Even those who cannot  sit down at home for a family dinner can have a plate of food left for them in the fridge they can heat up later.

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   starme77posted 13 years ago

   Oh , wow , finally found someone who would agree with me on that. Another problem I find is fast boxed crap ... no one freakin cooks anymore... but I do tonight though is a favorite actually and really inexpensive - stuffed bakers - I take the Large potatoes from the store 4 of em costs like 2 bucks - then I throw out some shredded cheese, sour cream, chili (yeah a can of it.. my bad) butter and some chives if I have em ... everyone loves to stuff their own tater and ... dinners done I like that one its easy and everyone is full and happy they love to make their own custom tater haha:)

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   wpaceposted 13 years ago

   Yes i hate those meals in a box too.  How hard is it to take something out for dinner for before leaving  for your day of errands or work?  All it takes is a little  bit of planning in advance.  People are just lazy about it.  Dinner at home with the family around the table every night was the way i was brought up.   I am now teaching my  teens to cook and i expect them to  have dinner started when i get home.   We are a TEAM effort in my house.  No reason at all that the kids cant help out with cooking and cleaning.

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      Stacie Lposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      It's not surprise that those parents that grew up using drive through windows now use them to feed their families.
      Now wonder we are the fattest people on the planet..
      I don't know if home economic classes are still being offered..yes,they were old fashioned and sexist, but they need to teach kids how to cook!
      it also teaches them to save money and budget..

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         starme77posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         my children were both required by me to take cooking class at school. My son needed it the worst ... my daughter on the other hand walked into the kitche at age six ... grabbed a pot put water in it grabbed something else and I said ... huh ... what are you doing ... she said making something to eat and I said how do you know how to do that and she said .... I been watching you yep ... I had no clue how close she had been watching me cook dinners every night ... so ... from then on ... she just cooked

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   wpaceposted 13 years ago

   my daughter  is 11 and is starting to cook on her own.  My son is learning.  They will know how to cook and clean before they leave for college.  They are also responsible for doing the laundry

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      starme77posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      my son always refused to cook ... so yeah he will have a hard first year in college this year ...but... my daughter.. she is 16 and is a very good cook

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   wordscribe43posted 13 years ago

   I'm just curious why you state "most parents" opt for the drive through window.  Where are you getting that statistic?  If it's merely from personal observation, it doesn't at all match my own.

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      wpaceposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      from the mothers i speak to at school when picking up the kids or at afterschool  events.   I dont pull things out of thin air, I watch and listen to those around me.

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         jlcaudill07posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Heck from just about every friend I have that has kids. I honestly had a girls night and some came early with premade stuff for the sides. They laughed at me for cooking. Really??? It's funny to watch around 5pm at the local McDonalds, soccer mom's and minivans line up the drive!

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   wpaceposted 13 years ago

   It is really sad when I hear from my sons friends that their mom doesnt cook.  They are always amazed that I make dinner every night.  Eating out is a treat we do on the weekend.  But monday thru Friday I am making  dinner and I work too.  So really there is no excuse.

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      CASE1WORKERposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I dont see how they can afford to buy  it!
      I cook most nights, sometimes we will have a take away but only if we actually want one! We have it as a bit of a treat, something to enjoy and no washing up for mum!

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   TamCorposted 13 years ago

   I always cooked for my kids when they were growing up, and I still cook now.
   
   Even though I work from home, I still like to do foods that are quick and easy at times, because, I admit, I don't enjoy cooking that much, lol.  I figure I've put in over 30 years of cooking, so I can cheat once in awhile now, haha.
   
   One great idea is using a crockpot...or slow cooker. Put the meal in it in the morning, and just forget about it until mealtime. And easy clean up, too! There are tons of recipes that you can find online for these, or just make some up, lol.
   
   We do the baked potatoes, too, starme, only instead of chili, we like bacon and broccoli with cheese and sour cream.
   
   My daughter is 28 and cooks for her family all the time--I'm really proud of her, because when she was at home, she had no interest whatsoever in learning to cook.  But now she sees how important it is to feed her three little ones right. And her husband is a good cook, too! 
   
   My 26 year old son can hold his own at the stove, too...but my youngest son, 22, hasn't gotten the hang of it yet, but I won't give up on him!

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   Dawn Conklinposted 13 years ago

   We rarely go out to eat here.  It is a special occasion when we do, I think I go to McDonald's maybe 4 times a year.  My oldest daughter unfortunately eats out a lot.  She has a different father and when she is with him, all he does is take her out to eat.  He never cooks.  It sometimes makes it difficult here as fast food is salty so she is starting to get picky with what homemade and healthy foods she will eat.  Irritates me! I cook every night here and my oldest is learning to cook now. 
   Even when I had a job outside of the home and worked 12 hours a day, I always made sure my kids had homemade food.  On long days they needed to snack before I got home but they ate a good dinner.

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