Everyday Life

A child is like a sponge soaking up everything around them in their environment.  If you provide a good environment they will just amaze you at the things they can learn.
Today I wanted to talk about things you do every day.  We think they are boring but kids think they are absolutely fascinating!  Mopping, Sweeping, Doing Dishes, Polishing, Dusting, Sorting, Cooking, Buttoning, Zipping, Tying, Sewing, Hammering, Cutting, Cleaning, Folding, I could go on forever.  Children see you doing them and they want to try so bad!

Let them!  Carefully teach them how, and as long as it is not horribly dangerous or there is just absolutely no way they can do it without hurting themselves, let them try!  I know, I know MESSES! So what!  It is a little more work for us, but developmentally sooo great for your kids, if you don't like the mess they make then show them how to clean it!  Let them serve their own food, pour their own drinks, do the dishes, help you clean the table.  If they cannot do it the way you do it modify it for them.  Buy a measuring cup and let them pour all their drinks from that instead of you pouring it into their cup for them always.  Give them a shelf in the kitchen of their food and snacks they can prepare for them self.  Give them a shelf in the refrigerator that has the same thing.  Give them their own dishes that they can wash and clean and guess what! don't give them plastic!  If you can give them breakable dishes, it teaches them to be careful!  (Now you probably want to buy their dishes at the thrift store so they don't break your nice set that goes together) Let them pick something nice and pretty that can be theirs and theirs alone.

Kids don't get good self esteem from us telling them how great they are.  They get their self esteem from doing things for themselves and realizing for them self that they can do those things.  Don't take this away from them by doing everything for them, I am always absolutely amazed at what a child can do for themselves if you give them the chance.  You may need to spend extra time teaching them.  They may not get it the first or second or maybe even the third time, but if they are interested and it won't hurt them, let them try.  You can always get another plate or glass if one gets broken, you can always wipe up a mess, but it is a lot harder to fix a broken self esteem!!