How can I help my child take flight?

Although it is normal to want to support your child, whatever his age and the difficulties he encounters, letting him find the solutions on his own teaches him to become autonomous and responsible for his future. A child who is too supported can be restrained in taking the initiative.

Judge what is reasonable for him

To better grow and develop his autonomy, the child needs to make new experiences, not only to better understand his environment, but also his way of acting accordingly. If of course, he must be supervised according to his age and his development, giving him the possibility of choosing and experimenting by himself while accompanying him and the supervisor participates in his maturity.

To help him in this sense, you can entrust him with certain responsibilities that you deem reasonable and within his reach, such as feeding his pet, setting the table, taking care of watering the plants, helping you cook or take care of his little brother or his little sister. In this way, you will allow him to feel useful and proud when he has accomplished his “mission”.

Let him learn from his choices

Helping your child take flight also means allowing him to think about his behavior and the consequences of his actions. If he forgot to put on his gloves in winter or if he no longer knows what time his cousin’s birthday is, rather than finding the solution for him, encourage him to act to repair or make up for his oversight or his mistakes. This way, you’ll help him tap into his imagination and resources rather than relying on you.

If at the beginning, you will have the impression of wasting time letting him think or do for himself, know that for his future, it is indeed time saved which will allow him to better respect the instructions, participate to family life and to take responsibility both at school and at home.

Find out more: “Empowering your child”, by Germain Duclos and Martin Duclos.