Independence One Toddler Step at a Time

As a parent, one of your main goals should be to have your children go on their own and embrace the world without you needing to be there.

Every time my daughter accomplishes something that gives her more independence, I get extremely happy.

Coaching her to build Courage

I don’t want to overprotect my daughter because I know it can halt her growth in many aspects. I want her to build the courage to do things and not have to wait for anyone.

I want her to pave her own path.  Only then can she change the world by making sure she guides herself and expects more of herself every day.

Progress Makes me Smile

On multiple occasions I have seen how my daughter opens the iPad and searches for her favorite applications. Other things she does are related to self sustaining herself in the future from attempting to put on her clothes, to cooking with her mom by cutting mushrooms, and even making cupcakes or muffins; she is always seeking ways to do things on her own.

She will ask for help when she does not get the result or can’t find something. For the most part she is exploring and observing what she wants to learn and do next..

I smile when I see that she has discovered something new to do on the iPad or that she figured out how to put on a piece of wardrobe. On most occasions her mom and I have taught her how to do certain tasks but  most of the time she has figured it out on her own by observing me like inserting her favorite movie into the Blueray/Dvd.

I remember reading in Steve Jobs Biography (Affiliate link) that one of his goals was to make the iPad and iOS devices very intuitive and easy to handle. I wonder what other things can we do during our days with our daughter that things can be intuitive and she can learn on her own vs. us taking her over every detail.

I have to tell Steve that based on my personal experiences with my daughter, I can’t see how they could have made it any easier it is our job now to get into that kind of thinking where critical tasks that our kids need to learn can become second nature to them early on.

As I see my daughter exploring new things and with progress, we are committed to keep the momentum going.

Everything will be Under Control, One day…

One day I want her to say Dad I have everything under control.

But until then I will handle the next task at being independent; potty training.

P.S. Thanks Aaron Manley (owner of  Motorphilia) for helping me understand this a lot better in a simple 45 minute conversation on your long term goals as a parent almost a year ago. 

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