Dad Tip of the Day: Independence

Dad Tip of the Day: Helping your kids achieve future self-sustainability through learned independence will help them grow into flourishing adults.

As parents, we want our kids to learn and grow so that one day they can ultimately “fly the coop” and thrive out on their own, accomplishing great things in their life.

If that is the end goal, the way to get there is not easy or fast – it is persistent work over a prolonged period of time that will help them get to this point.

There have been many work projects that have seemingly dragged on forever but when completed, it is rewarding to feel that sense of accomplishment and to look back and see how far the project has come. In parenting, I imagine it is a similar journey, and there will be ups and downs along the way, just like any work project you might be trying to complete.

While my kids are young, these self-sustainability lessons are often small, but necessary to help them grow. Learning to put their clothes on by themselves, tie a shoe, be responsible for certain chores, etc help kids develop and grow that independence that will propel them into a successful adulthood.

Here, you can see Jacob pulling Kendra around in the wagon:

Going form rider in the wagon to driver of the wagon is one small independent step that Jacob took this week. There are many each week, but this is just one example – hopefully next week it will be mowing the lawn…

Thanks for reading and stopping by today!

Brian