It’s important to encourage kids to do what they love. Who knows, maybe it’s the next Aretha Franklin singing in the shower or a future Ryan Gosling on his way to acting class.

Redditor u/-TerrificTerror- recently told the Parenting community about her 9-year-old daughter’s newly found love of baking. The girl’s family encouraged her by asking her to bake something small every once in a while and complimenting her cooking. But when a relative made a rather large order, the mom believed that compliments won’t do and requested payment.

It’s important to encourage kids to engage in what they enjoy

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

This mom wanted to support her daughter’s love of baking but was criticized for her ways of doing it

Image credits: stockasso (not the actual photo)

Image credits: -TerrificTerror-

Image credits: -TerrificTerror-

There are numerous benefits to children picking up a hobby

The OP was supportive of her child’s passion for baking, as it is important to encourage kids to follow their hobbies. Parent Circle emphasized that having hobbies has numerous benefits as it can help alleviate stress, nurture creativity, and improve cognitive skills. It also helps children to learn how to manage time and deal with stressful or challenging situations, in addition to dispersing boredom.

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Education World seconded the idea that it’s beneficial for kids to have hobbies, adding that parent involvement can help nurture their interest. Some of the ways to do it, according to them, are first and foremost being attentive to what their hobbies might be and providing options related to them.

It’s also important to provide children with the tools, as well as enough personal space to explore the activity, as well as being supportive and celebrating their achievements together. Joining them in some of the activities or at least showing interest can also go a long way; however, it’s important not to force your own hobbies onto the child.

Research shows that there is a positive correlation between parental support and students’ self-worth, as well as psychological and physical well-being.

Image credits: Madalyn Cox (not the actual photo)

It’s not only the ingredients that should be paid for

One of the ways the OP encourages her daughter to continue baking is buying all the ingredients the little chef needs. The woman said she didn’t mind doing so, even though the ingredients typically used for baked goods, such as butter and eggs, are not cheap, as a few redditors pointed out in the comments.

CBS News pointed out that the price of butter increased by 31% over the last year (while the costs of margarine grew by a whopping 44%). It also revealed that eggs got 60% more expensive over the same period of time, which is why it’s no surprise some bakers might have understandably increased the prices of their goods.

According to PR Newswire, due to the pandemic, there was a noticeable increase in the number of people baking goods at home in 2020—roughly 84% of people surveyed by the market research firm Packaged Facts said they tried their luck at it. That reportedly led to an 24% increase in sales of baking-related products.

The relative that asked the OP’s daughter to bake 75 cupcakes assured that they would cover the expenses for the ingredients. However, they weren’t willing to pay for the girl’s time or effort, which made her mother feel like they were taking advantage of the little baker. Lightspeed suggested that the time it takes to make one batch is one of the main things to consider when it comes to the price of your baked goods (together with the cost of ingredients, the recipe yield, and cost per serving).

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No matter the age, the time and effort a person puts into creating homemade goods is not less valuable than the ingredients, which is why they should be compensated for it as well. Luckily, the OP’s relative eventually decided to do it with a gift card for a local shop selling cooking and baking supplies. Not only that, they allowed the girl to use a commercial kitchen, which must have been quite an experience for the little baker.

Image credits: Gustavo Fring (not the actual photo)

Fellow redditors shared their thoughts on the matter in the comments, the OP answered some of them

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