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When you're feeding someone, when you're nourishing an individual and you're literally like you're giving someone alive when you feed someone.

That is authenticity at its best. So I see giving kids the capacity and the ability to make food both for

themselves and for their families, for their loved ones, et cetera, as this incredible empowerment.

And so if the research is finding that a sense of purpose helps kids improve their mental health, That is definitely cooking gives a sense of purpose. We also know that when kids feel a sense of control over their world, they have less anxiety. And that's just, I mean, yes, the research shows that, but that's also common sense, right? What do we hate most in the world? The unknown. That's why we're scared of the dark. Can't see what's out there. That's adults too.

This is Diane Bowden, and you're listening to the minimalist moms podcast.

What if chores and cooking weren't just tasks, but tools for raising confident, capable teens?

In today's episode, I talked to Katie Kimball of Kitchen Stewardship about shifting from control to collaboration,

helping teens build independence through real life skills like cooking, responsibility, and decision making.

From reducing anxiety to strengthening communication, Katie shares simple systems that give teens

ownership while still maintaining clear boundaries. If you want to raise teens who feel

confident, capable, and prepared for life,

this conversation offers practical, doable steps to start today.

Make sure at the end of this episode, you leave a five-star rating if you found this conversation helpful.

Or be sure to share the episode with a friend that could benefit.

And with that, let's get into this conversation with my guest, Katie Kimball.

I think for a lot of us, we didn't implement some of these routines and habits in our younger

kids, even though we may have had the best of intentions to do so. And then we find ourselves with adolescents, middle schoolers, high schoolers, and we're like, oh, no, I have to gain control back or else they're not going to know how to do this when they become young adults. And so, no, I'm really grateful to have this conversation, Katie. But quickly, I guess before we get into the content, go ahead, reintroduce yourself to the listeners, and we'll get started.

Sure thing. Well, I'm a mom of four. My oldest is 20. My youngest is 11, and I've got a freshman in high school and senior in high school in between. So I am in the thick of it with teens and seeing how, right, like, that's how the first half of parenting worked out. I'm getting my grades. I'm making my grades now. My oldest is actually engaged. So he's like going into real adulthood.

And it's just, it's just wild to watch them, watch them grow up and become truly their own people, only fully separate from me.

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