Apr 26 2009
Taking time to teach
My 4-year-old daughter has turned out to be the type of child who loves to help out. She’ll ask can she help with something, but being the impatient mother that I can be I normally tell her to wait, not this time or I’m not really doing anything that needs help.
She especially likes to help in the kitchen where I least want the help. Now, when I’m doing laundry or something else, I normally don’t mind too much. But every time I go into the kitchen I am normally in a hurry or can’t think fast enough to get the meal prepared for everyone.
I read Family Fun magazine and all the other ones that instruct on how to include children in projects of every nature, but I am not one to want to read instructions and try to implement them with 1-, 4- and 5-year-old children. I am just not excited. When we do sit down for a project together, which I come up with myself, I normally instruct and sit for a few minutes before I get up to do something else and let them work independently. I hate to admit it, but I do that because I often get irritated and impatient.
Given these facts, I’ve been trying to think of ways to feed my child’s desire to work in the kitchen with my desire to maintain my sanity. I recognize my weaknesses, but I also want to be a nurturing mother.
That’s why I’ve come up with some keys to help myself and other moms who may not be the perfect, patient project mommy. These tips should also be perfect for the multigenerational parent.
- Spend alone time with each child doing a project or task. If you have some other activity or play date that your other children can participate in then chose one child to do an activity or project with.
- Schedule the project time. Add this time to your calendar like you would any other date or commitment.
- Decide on some projects ahead of time. Prepare for ones that you’d love to do, but that also fuel your child’s creativity and talents. Organize supplies and instructions ahead of time so that you have everything at your fingertips.
By implementing these tips as well as some of your own, it’ll make project and task time easier for both you and your child. Now, all I have to do is implement these tips into my home.
