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Posts Tagged ‘independence’

  1. How long is 30 seconds?

    September 24, 2013 by admin

    If you are wondering how much mischief your kid can get up to in thirty seconds, try this little experiment.

    Turn off all the music, TV, and other distractions in the room.

    IMG_2296Click on the following link, and quickly close your eyes.

    Open them when you think 30 seconds has elapsed.

    Did you make it to the end?  What do you think your kids could have accomplished during that time?

    Depending on the age of your child, thirty seconds alone could be disastrous.  Or it could be just the right amount of time that they need in order to solve a problem on their own.  Perhaps they could actually attempt to tie their shoes before you swing in to help?

    The next time your kid asks for a hand with a task, try to consider if just 30 seconds would afford them the opportunity to learn how to do it without your assistance.

    Regardless, most people are surprised by how long it takes 30 seconds to pass.  So make sure your kiddo is in a safe space before you allow them to be unsupervised for  even that short amount of time.

    Category Rambler Ramblings | Tags: ,, | Comments Off on How long is 30 seconds?

  2. Snack Hell

    August 10, 2013 by admin

    IMG_1408

    Kids get hungry- often.  This hunger usually becomes an adult’s responsibility to resolve.  We TR Parents aim to raise independent children and to encourage self sufficiency, in appropriate ways, based on the age of our kids.

    But even with this focus, we find ourselves in an incredibly frustrating, repetitive conversation on a daily basis with our children, especially 11 year old, Plum:

    • Plum –                       “I’m hungry!”
    • TR Parent –              “What do you want to eat?”
    • Plum –                       “What do we have?”
    • TR Parent –              “A lot of stuff.  What do you feel like eating?”
    • Plum –                       “I don’t know.  Will you make me something?”
    • TR Parent –              “What do you want?!!?”

     

    And on and on, ad nauseum.  This dead-end discourse is now being mirrored by 4 year old, Bluey.  No one ends up happy in this kind of exchange.  And ½ the time, no one getsIMG_1409 a snack.

    So what to do?  Our kitchen cupboards and fridge are bursting with food on most days.  As we approach our weekly shopping time, reserves are lower.  But there is always cheese, bread, dried fruit, pretzels, etc.  We might not have the exact item to satisfy a particular craving.  But we have food, a-plenty.

    We need to figure out a way to get Plum and Bluey to identify what they want as a snack.  Or to learn to be okay choosing from what we have in the house, even if it isn’t their first choice.  And we want to help Plum realize that she needs to up the ante on self reliance.

    We will always love, nurture, and support our children.  But we’d ultimately fail our parental obligations if we don’t teach our kids how to take care of their immediate needs, like hunger.

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