Hello, Toddler Families
Often times as parents we feel incredibly nervous watching our children grow and increase their interest and willingness to take risks. We want to step in and redirect to a less "riskier risk", intervene "for safety", remind them to "be careful!", or just project our nervous worried energy onto them. The tricky thing about risks is if we don't expose our children to challenging or potentially dangerous things, they never learn how to handle them.
Scissors, hammers, climbing, managing glass... things as simple as helping in the kitchen at the stove, setting the table with knives and forks, cutting fruits and vegetables to prepare meals, using a screwdriver or a drill to help an adult, shutting the car door themselves, balancing on something.... these are all invaluable and actually necessary exposures. Think about it-- if a child has never had an opportunity to work with these things, they are actually at greater risk when they finally do because they were never taught to use them safely.
There is a lot of research about how saying "be careful" actually 1- interrupts the child's focus, concentration, and distracts them from doing exactly that and 2- disrupts their confidence in themselves, making it less likely that they can "be careful" when engaging in something new. Great replacement can include "trust your body", remaining silent but nearby, or offering to demonstrate once how to do something before handing over the reins.
How lucky we all are to have an opportunity both at school and at your homes to watch these children grow not only in their physical abilities but in their confidence, trust in themselves, and security in their place. These are such vital skills to empower them to become honest, motivated, and trustworthy adults.
Warmly,
Morahs Megan, Sarah, and K