Comments on: Do for Themselves http://treerootandtwig.com/2009/08/13/do-for-themselves/ A Personal Blog About Parenting and Products Thu, 24 May 2012 00:06:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Karen http://treerootandtwig.com/2009/08/13/do-for-themselves/comment-page-1/#comment-3542 Karen Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:14:23 +0000 http://treerootandtwig.com/?p=2273#comment-3542 It is so very hard to let our children learn from their lack of follow through or failure to anticipate what they might need. We all know they never will if we don't let them feel a little pain. Certainly, we suffered some too. Maybe, if we lag behind a little and just watch a bit before leaping to their rescue they may begin to figure things out on their own. I am not suggesting that if their is a major problem you sit back, but just the little day to day "fixes" kids can get themselves into without trying, it seems. Helping them to own up to and accept responsibility for their own decisions is part of our job, albeit, sometimes a difficult part. It is so very hard to let our children learn from their lack of follow through or failure to anticipate what they might need. We all know they never will if we don’t let them feel a little pain. Certainly, we suffered some too. Maybe, if we lag behind a little and just watch a bit before leaping to their rescue they may begin to figure things out on their own. I am not suggesting that if their is a major problem you sit back, but just the little day to day “fixes” kids can get themselves into without trying, it seems. Helping them to own up to and accept responsibility for their own decisions is part of our job, albeit, sometimes a difficult part.

]]> By: Karen http://treerootandtwig.com/2009/08/13/do-for-themselves/comment-page-1/#comment-19936 Karen Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:14:00 +0000 http://treerootandtwig.com/?p=2273#comment-19936 It is so very hard to let our children learn from their lack of follow through or failure to anticipate what they might need. We all know they never will if we don't let them feel a little pain. Certainly, we suffered some too. Maybe, if we lag behind a little and just watch a bit before leaping to their rescue they may begin to figure things out on their own. I am not suggesting that if their is a major problem you sit back, but just the little day to day "fixes" kids can get themselves into without trying, it seems. Helping them to own up to and accept responsibility for their own decisions is part of our job, albeit, sometimes a difficult part. It is so very hard to let our children learn from their lack of follow through or failure to anticipate what they might need. We all know they never will if we don’t let them feel a little pain. Certainly, we suffered some too. Maybe, if we lag behind a little and just watch a bit before leaping to their rescue they may begin to figure things out on their own. I am not suggesting that if their is a major problem you sit back, but just the little day to day “fixes” kids can get themselves into without trying, it seems. Helping them to own up to and accept responsibility for their own decisions is part of our job, albeit, sometimes a difficult part.

]]> By: Lis Garrett http://treerootandtwig.com/2009/08/13/do-for-themselves/comment-page-1/#comment-3524 Lis Garrett Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:40:07 +0000 http://treerootandtwig.com/?p=2273#comment-3524 I think it depends on the child, too, to what extent they can be held accountable, as well as the situation at hand. My then 9-yr-old daughter had been having trouble in math at the beginning of 4th grade, and so we were on the ball making sure she had her homework done each night. After a few months, I began to relax a little and take her word for it that she had completed her homework and turned it in. Lo and behold, I received a call from the teacher a few weeks later telling me my daughter was not completing and handing in her work again. While some kids her age can do homework with little or no prompting, mine is not one of them. I'm not willing to let her suffer the consequences of bad grades and falling behind just to teach her a lesson. However, my daughter wanted to have a slumber party with all her friends last weekend. I told her that she could invite four friends and that she was responsible for calling them all. I gave her a few reminders over the course of a week, but she waited until the very last minute anyway to call, and only one of her friends was able to come after all. I think it depends on the child, too, to what extent they can be held accountable, as well as the situation at hand. My then 9-yr-old daughter had been having trouble in math at the beginning of 4th grade, and so we were on the ball making sure she had her homework done each night. After a few months, I began to relax a little and take her word for it that she had completed her homework and turned it in. Lo and behold, I received a call from the teacher a few weeks later telling me my daughter was not completing and handing in her work again. While some kids her age can do homework with little or no prompting, mine is not one of them. I’m not willing to let her suffer the consequences of bad grades and falling behind just to teach her a lesson.

However, my daughter wanted to have a slumber party with all her friends last weekend. I told her that she could invite four friends and that she was responsible for calling them all. I gave her a few reminders over the course of a week, but she waited until the very last minute anyway to call, and only one of her friends was able to come after all.

]]> By: Lis Garrett http://treerootandtwig.com/2009/08/13/do-for-themselves/comment-page-1/#comment-19935 Lis Garrett Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:40:00 +0000 http://treerootandtwig.com/?p=2273#comment-19935 I think it depends on the child, too, to what extent they can be held accountable, as well as the situation at hand. My then 9-yr-old daughter had been having trouble in math at the beginning of 4th grade, and so we were on the ball making sure she had her homework done each night. After a few months, I began to relax a little and take her word for it that she had completed her homework and turned it in. Lo and behold, I received a call from the teacher a few weeks later telling me my daughter was not completing and handing in her work again. While some kids her age can do homework with little or no prompting, mine is not one of them. I'm not willing to let her suffer the consequences of bad grades and falling behind just to teach her a lesson. However, my daughter wanted to have a slumber party with all her friends last weekend. I told her that she could invite four friends and that she was responsible for calling them all. I gave her a few reminders over the course of a week, but she waited until the very last minute anyway to call, and only one of her friends was able to come after all. I think it depends on the child, too, to what extent they can be held accountable, as well as the situation at hand. My then 9-yr-old daughter had been having trouble in math at the beginning of 4th grade, and so we were on the ball making sure she had her homework done each night. After a few months, I began to relax a little and take her word for it that she had completed her homework and turned it in. Lo and behold, I received a call from the teacher a few weeks later telling me my daughter was not completing and handing in her work again. While some kids her age can do homework with little or no prompting, mine is not one of them. I’m not willing to let her suffer the consequences of bad grades and falling behind just to teach her a lesson.

However, my daughter wanted to have a slumber party with all her friends last weekend. I told her that she could invite four friends and that she was responsible for calling them all. I gave her a few reminders over the course of a week, but she waited until the very last minute anyway to call, and only one of her friends was able to come after all.

]]> By: Heather O http://treerootandtwig.com/2009/08/13/do-for-themselves/comment-page-1/#comment-3523 Heather O Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:04:59 +0000 http://treerootandtwig.com/?p=2273#comment-3523 I get the whole lunch thing. My kids have to pack and take their lunch every day. Bobby has said, if they forget, they can go without. The only problem with that, is that the third grader will charge a lunch not realizing I'm the one who has to foot the bill for his mistake. GRRR! I get the whole lunch thing. My kids have to pack and take their lunch every day. Bobby has said, if they forget, they can go without. The only problem with that, is that the third grader will charge a lunch not realizing I’m the one who has to foot the bill for his mistake. GRRR!

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