Do you remember what it felt like to try to climb into and sit in an adult's chair? To constantly be If you have young children, one of the most loving things you can do for them is to make it possible for them to do whatever they can by themselves. This not only lowers your child's frustration level, but it also teaches her life skills and builds up her feelings of competency and self worth.
standing on your tip-toes trying to reach things? To be unable to do almost anything for yourself?

In my house, we have a number of child-sized chairs, a child-sized table (for doing puzzles, art work, and such), and three easy-to-access stepping stools. Just this weekend, I finally found a suitable coat hook for my preschooler. (It was in the craft section of Wal-mart.) Now, instead of having to wait for me to take her coat from her so I can hang it up (which usually resulted in her tossing the coat on the floor), she can hang up her own coat, hat, book bag, and scarf. She's thrilled, and I've saved myself a little work, too.



I admit that sometimes I fall into the trap of doing things for my children because it seems similier or less messy to do so, but I try to evaluate my children's skills from time to time and think of new ways they can do for themselves. For example, tomorrow I'm going to show my four year old how to pour her own juice. Sure, she may make some messes at first, but then again, I sometimes slop the juice, too. The important thing is what she will learn from making those mistakes - and what she will gain from finally conquering the task.

What can your child learn to do for himself today?