Sometimes I forget to tell the whole story (kinda like my daughter). And sometimes I need to be reminded of things (kinda like my daughter). Thankfully my lovely cousin just wrote a great comment on my last post about mistakes.
"I love your stories Chris! Recognize the situation well. I got great advice once from a senior surgeon. He said that it wasn't that the best surgeons didn't make mistakes it was that they didn't freak out and knew how to fix them. Had a thought that you could try to shift the focus from preventing mistakes to how to fix mistakes when they happen. "Hey kiddo, I saw that you spilt some water, how do you think we should fix it?, I can help you...when I spill water I do this..."
After reading her comment, I realized I forgot to share an important part of the story.
Once things were cleared up between the babe and I and she understood that I wasn't upset, we walked to the kitchen together to deal with the water. I handed her some paper towels and asked if she could wipe all the water up. I also mentioned I'd be happy to help if she needed me.
This last part of the story is pretty critical, and I thank my cousin for reminding me of it. After having made it through 3 parenting classes, I really can't say enough about how important it is to empower your kids, and letting them fix their own mistakes is a critical part of doing that. It may take longer, but the end result, I hear, is worth it.
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