Calling all grown-ups. Stop dashing in!

As parents, we’re a bit hard-wired to leap and take action instantly, when it comes to our children. And I am vexed by how SM can apply the pressure for what constitutes a truly caring or successful parent. I’m making a case to take a stand against the human habit of dashing to actions and solutions. Way, way back, dashing to action and solution was a necessary mindset. Cavemen and women didn’t ordinarily have the luxury of strategising or taking their time. Something was life-threatening there and then, and had to be dealt with there and then. These days, thankfully, the vast majority of us are not under constant threat. We can be more considered in our actions. Now, I’m not suggesting that you sit back and ‘let things play out’ when you’re little one reaches out to touch a hot iron. I’m not that crazy! I’m saying that, in many instances, being able to resist the urge to leap into action, is beneficial to our youngsters. Let Jade wrestle with her tights. Let Dan struggle with his maths challenge. Take time to prepare the questions you have, before going to see Ethan’s teacher. Really listen to Emma’s and Jodie’s different sides of the story before deciding your course of action. When we leap to action, we can inadvertently stifle the development and independence of our children. We could also find ourselves working to solve something that wasn’t the actual problem; a waste of time and effort for all of us. I suggest that, where things aren’t of imminent danger, we take a leaf out of Albert’s book… “If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about the solution .” Albert Einstein To your success and considered actions Hil ;0) Children's Author and Advocate for Kids www.rubyandalfie.com