Do you like food? YOu have to love food, I think, in order to be a good cook. If food is just fuel, as far as you’re concerned, you’re out of luck. Also, are you an experimentalist? You kind of have to throw out the recipes, and learn what works well by trial and error, or at the side of a good cook. There are so many methods and cookbooks rarely describe anything very completely. Besides which, it’s almost impossible to put everything in writing. My best advice is tot take a course, and work with someone. Or ask a friend who is a good cook to work at their side. The other thing you have to do is to start experimenting about what works with what. Trust your mental tastebuds. They may lead you wrong at first, but you’ll figure it out. Learn when you go to a restaurant. How crisp is the asparagus? How is the rice flavored? The meat? What combinations do you detect? As if you are correct. Always ask the waiter what’s goin on inside the food. I don’t know if you use canned food, but if you do, lock it in the basement. Use fresh ingredients as much as possible. Go to farmers markets and learn what foods look like in a natural form. Try new things. They don’t all work. It’s ok. You kids may complain, but, that’s life. Just have fun, and don’t be afraid. It’ll take time, but you’ll get it!