Remark: This was written 6 months ago during my first draft, she will be turning 5years old in 2 months from now but the lesson still rings true.
“Mummy, I want to do it myself!”
Said my 4-year-old defiantly as she tried to squeeze toothpaste out from an almost empty tube in one hand, onto her toothbrush.
A few thoughts passed through my head at that moment.
If I had helped her, she would have lost the opportunity to learn to problem-solve the tasks at hand.
I also did not want to discourage her enthusiasm to learn and diminish her potential to be more independent.
She’s my youngest of three, and in a way, I’ve babied her a lot more than her older siblings, because in my eyes, I still viewed her as a toddler, and I wanted this era of her childhood to continue.
“Alright Emma, you do it” I said.
It definitely took longer than it should, usually, I would whip out the toothpaste, squeeze it for her and brushed her teeth. It was mainly due to time, we were usually back late after work and dinner, and bedtime routines sometimes needed to be rushed.
I watched her struggle to squeeze out a large pea-size amount and drag it over her tooth brush, she grinned when she succeeded, then passed me the toothpaste tube.
She then brushed her front teeth lightly, left and right, trying to do as how she observed her older sister does nightly. I let her do it on her own for a while, then I stepped in and said I would help her do a ‘second round’ of brushing.
She agreed to it, I think she knew too that she wasn’t ready to brush her teeth solo.
That night I tucked her into bed and gave her an extra long hug, followed by a rapid fire of kisses.
She was growing up, and I needed to give her opportunities to learn and adapt by herself. I reminded myself that I needed to hold back from doing everything for her, and let her grow some independence, for her benefit.
It may sound a bit dramatic as she was only four, but this applies to my six and eight year old as well.
Parenting is a constant journey of learning and growth, adapting to the needs of our children, and sometimes it requires us to take a step back and let them take their own steps when they yearn for it.
Same story different platform:https://medium.com/p/748a2a9d53a7