When I watch my nephew, I sometimes worry that I act like a “helicopter parent”- constantly hovering a foot away from him, doing things for him, and never letting him figure out things on his own. I want to help him become more independent, but he is only two years old and still does need a lot of help! The problem is, where do you draw the line? How much help is too much? And what can you do to help empower your kids? Luckily, I found this post by Jane Nelsen and Lynn Lott at the Positive Discipline Blog that has some awesome tips:
-Show faith in your kids, and express it to them. Tell them that you firmly believe they can accomplish the task. Love and encouragement goes a long way!
-Express your limits- make sure they know you’re not willing to constantly bail them out of trouble, by doing their homework for them, etc. Make sure they understand the consequences of their actions.
-Joint problem solving- if they do get stuck, figure it out WITH them, not FOR them. Ask questions, like “What do you think the answer is? Why?”
Leave a Reply