independent skills
How can I help my kids become more independent?
Dear Mama Drama: I am trying to get my five-year-old son to be more independent in bathing and dressing himself. I have been working with him for the past two weeks on this and he still cannot do anything on his own. I am frustrated and he starts crying every time I tell him to do it on his own. I don’t understand why this is so hard or how to help him. ~Confused Mama Dear Confused: Building independent self-care skills for bathing, dressing, etc., is very important for five-year-olds. While as adults we view these skills as fairly basic, we have also been doing them for many, many years. Tasks that seem like one step for us, i.e. washing our hair, are really multiple steps. For your son to try to master all of these things in a short amount of time is probably quite overwhelming. Rather t...
Mama Drama: How to Grow Independent Problem Solvers
Dear Mama Drama: (photo credit) I’m afraid I’ve created a monster (or two) by being an overprotective mom. My kids can’t seem to solve even the smallest problem by themselves. If something doesn’t turn out the way they think it should, they fall apart and for every little thing it’s “Mom, mom, mom!” How can I help them become more independent? ~Overprotective Mama Dear Overprotective: Good for you for realizing that you are the link in this chain of helplessness that you have the control to change. It’s hard to admit when our behavior has led to difficult behavior in our children. There are many small things you can do to help your children increase their independent problem solving skills. It just takes a shift in thinking, a lot of teaching...
