My son was old enough to tie his own shoes, but I tied them for him. I watched one of his buddies tie his own shoes and realized it was time to teach him how to do this. After his friend left, I said, “So Zach can tie his own shoes. Do you want to learn how to tie your shoes?” We spent under an hour working on this and I never had to tie his shoes again. I think sometimes we convince ourselves that it would just be easier to do things ourselves. I have learned to ask myself the question, “Am I doing things for my kids that they can do for themselves?” This question has helped me to not do for my kids the things that they can do for themselves. My hope is that this will help them be capable and confident children, teens, and adults. I want them to believe in themselves and what they can accomplish.
Sherene Van Dyke, Alamogordo, New Mexico, USA