Share

Even little ones make decisions

I think children are ready to make choices from their earliest toddler days (age appropriate of course).

Will it be yogurt or cheese for morning snack?  Even a baby of ten or twelve months can make that choice.
Do you want to wear the red shirt or the blue shirt?  My son was able to make that choice from well before his second birthday and then wouldn’t fight when I put matching pants on him.
Now that he’s six, he chooses whether to bath before or after supper, so we don’t argue about bathing.  Sometimes I need him to do it when I choose because of when supper will be ready or because we are going out, but then I tell him that he needs to bath now because of xyz and (mostly) off he goes.  (well, I have to run the bath still for safety reasons). 

He’s just had entrepreneurs day for school. I suggested pet rock paperweights, but he chose the rocks and decided which animal each one would be and did the painting himself under my direction where needed.  I put the varnish on overnight though as at 6 that would have just been an invitation to stick the rocks to my lounge table.  He dried his coats of paint with a hair dryer so that it didn’t bore him to tears while waiting for the paint to dry. 

When children can’t make choices within reasonable limits I think it stunts their development.  If the wheels don’t fall off at high school they will on the first job or at varsity.  If they have had everything dictated to them, the rebellion in the teenage years must be a sight to behold.  That said, if they have had complete free reign, they don’t have anything to push and rebel against which is a problem – because that fight for independence is a developmental need and if they don’t have limits to push against I don’t actually know what happens but I’d imagine it isn’t too pretty. 

Kim
Mom of a 6 year old with choices.
 
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE