Parenting and Helping Our Kids be Self-Sufficient

Letting Them Do It on Their Own
by Jennifer Shakeel

Important to teach children the joy of solving their own problems

One of the biggest struggles we as parents have is not trying to figure out how to be the best mom or dad in the world, because we are all wonderful parents in our own rights… but it is to encourage our children to be self sufficient. When we see or hear our child is having a difficult time with something we immediately want to reach in and take care of it for them just so they are happy. What we don't realize is that in the long wrong, we really aren't helping them at all.

I know as a mom that every time one of my kids is having difficulty trying to figure something out, or just had a disagreement with one of their friends and they are sad… or mad… I want to be supermom and make all wonderful and easy in their life. However, I also know that as a mom the best thing I can do is help them figure the situation out on their own. Part of it is growing up in the school of hard knocks I guess. My father was real big on making us do things on our own. I will never forget the time I climbed a tree. I was so excited, he stood there while I was climbing to make sure I didn't fall… but when I said that I needed help getting down, he looked at me and said "You got up there on your own, now get down on your own."He turned and walked away going into my grandmother's kitchen. I swear I sat there and cried forever… then I got real mad… and eventually got out of the tree on my own.