Q:If we take something off the table, have we “lost”?
A:”Lost what,” I ask? An example, many parents report morning routine’s to be a struggle. Children drag their feet. Parents are trying to accomplish many things in a short period of time. No one wants to feel harried in the morning. Maybe your daughter dawdles or complains when she has to dress herself. My first question is: does the child know how to dress herself? Is she capable of the task? If we take “independently getting dressed” off the table, will the morning feel less taxing, rushed, and miserable? Then do it! You know your child can dress herself, give her a different independent task in the morning…or at a different time of day for that matter, to show her self-help skills. Taking this task of the table, doesn’t mean you’ve “lost,” it just means you might have a more pleasant morning. If that’s a tough time, address the goal of your child doing things independently, at another time of day.