“My Do It” – Beginning of Independence
No Mamma – “My Do It”. The dreaded words a toddler will usher when they want to do something their way and on their own terms. It is a crucial learning milestone for the development and growth of your child. The repetition reinforces the physical and mental tasks from buckling the car seat to putting a lid on a sippy cup to putting on their own pants. But boy – those “My Do It’s” always seem to come when we are running late, the line is 4 cars deep in the daycare line, or in a public restaurant.
Take a deep breath I tell myself and just let my son or daughter go through the motions – because there will be an all out temper tantrum if mom or dad try to assist a “my do it”.
The people in the daycare line understand or eventually will when their child is this age. I will just have to apologize to the staff at the restaurant for the spilled milk and I have learned to try to avoid 8am meetings at work.
But the light at the end of this tunnel is that eventually your child will be able to do this task without assistance from you. You can say, “Honey it is time to get dressed” , and they will be able to do this. You can say get in the car and buckle up, and you do not have to stand in the rain and wrestle with the straps and buckles.
This is just one of the many ways your child will learn and begin to become their own independent person. Let them experience the process and practice the task, and hold your tongue. There will be more important “my do its” in the teen years to save your words for.
Take a deep breath I tell myself and just let my son or daughter go through the motions – because there will be an all out temper tantrum if mom or dad try to assist a “my do it”.
The people in the daycare line understand or eventually will when their child is this age. I will just have to apologize to the staff at the restaurant for the spilled milk and I have learned to try to avoid 8am meetings at work.
But the light at the end of this tunnel is that eventually your child will be able to do this task without assistance from you. You can say, “Honey it is time to get dressed” , and they will be able to do this. You can say get in the car and buckle up, and you do not have to stand in the rain and wrestle with the straps and buckles.
This is just one of the many ways your child will learn and begin to become their own independent person. Let them experience the process and practice the task, and hold your tongue. There will be more important “my do its” in the teen years to save your words for.
