Have you taken the time to look at young children lately? Perhaps you have noticed, like I have, how the majority of young children don’t display much responsibility and independence like they used to? I don’t necessarily think this is the children’s fault, but more the parents fault. And, before I offend anyone, I am guilty myself.
There is no doubt in my mind that my five year old son could do more on his own. The problem is that my husband and I both tend to do things for him…more than we should for his age. With that being said, below are a few ways that parents (including my husband and I) could help build a greater sense of responsibility and independence in their young children.
Preparing breakfast. Obviously, I am not going to let my five year old son fix eggs and bacon for the family on Saturday morning. But, he is old enough to fix himself a bowl of cereal or a piece of toast. All I need to do is fill a cup half way up with milk and leave in the fridge and he can pour it in a bowl with some cereal…or, set the toaster out by the loaf of bread for toast. Not only will allowing him to fix his own breakfast help him, but it will also help my husband and I as we won’t have to get up at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning to feed the little guy. Getting dressed. This is another issue many parents choose to ignore, choosing to believe that their little ones need them to pick out their clothing and get them dressed until they go to kindergarten. However, most children are able to dress themselves by the time they are 3 ½, so why not…