..........I did survive my weekend camping trip with my wee ones! The weather was perfect, the site was absolutely gorgeous and the company was enjoyable.
This was the first time I let the girls sleep in tents sans an adult. They were so excited to be given this first bit of camping independence. They all felt like such big girls! One of the things I love about camping with my troop is seeing how much they grow with each trip. They are really starting to get the hang of what is expected of them when we camp.
We have a new girl in our troop this year and it warmed my heart when the veterans schooled her on the know hows of camping. They are actually learning something!!!
There was something I saw this weekend that makes me want to pass on a little bit of unsolicited parenting advice.
Parents........do yourselves and your children a huge favor and teach them early how to do things for themselves. Start small and give them age appropriate tasks that you know they can accomplish on their own. Sometimes it takes a little longer to do things this way, but in the long run they will gain self confidence and you will beam with pride at how clever your child is.
I did this with my girls and I always assumed that other parents did it as well. Let me tell you, it becomes very apparent which kids have parents that do everything for them when you have them on a camping trip without mom or dad in tow.
It amazes me how helpless some of the girls can be when it comes to completing really simple tasks. They are smart girls so the only explanation is that they haven't been allowed to do these simple tasks on their own.
Becoming self sufficient doesn't just happen, it needs to be taught. We all want to be needed by our children, but ultimately it is our job as parents to create children that grow up and don't need us.
So the assignment for parents who can't help but cut up the meat of their teenager......knock it off! It's never to late to teach your kids to be self sufficient. Give them their own knife and show them what to do!
The assignment for parents with young children....find one small thing that you always do for your little boo and let them give it a try for themselves. Trust me, you'll be happy you did!
So my friends, this concludes the first and probably last edition of Michelle's parenting 1o1 tips! Go forth and parent!
