Don’t underestimate your kids
Do you catch yourself making assumptions about what your kids will or won’t like? Or perhaps find yourself setting expectations that are way too low? It’s something we all do, and sometimes little incidents can remind us how often we probably underestimate them.
A surprising incident
The other day the kids and I (randomly) tried oysters for the first time ever. They were an accidental extra item that came with our online grocery order, so we saved them to have with my family for afternoon tea on the weekend. I was pretty adamant that it would be a waste for our fussy 6 year old to try one, but she insisted. And not only did she succeed in eating it, strangely enough, she actually liked it!
Expect young kids to help
When it comes to expectations, this same tendency to underestimate often happens. Children are often capable of much more than we think! Many a time I am tempted to just get one of my older kids to tidy up a mess. But, though frustrating, tiring and slow, it is so much more instructive for the little ones to take responsibility for their own mess. For example, if our three year old upends her drink on the floor, she is (ideally) expected to take part in cleaning it up. Or if she leaves the Lego blocks lying all over the lounge, she needs to put them back in the box. It’s all part of teaching our kids responsibility, but it is very often easier said than done! Younger siblings have a knack for avoiding anything that looks like hard work, which just means making an extra effort to train them. Unfortunately, no one else is going to do the training for us. It’s our God-given role as parents, so we may as well embrace it! And sadly, in my experience at least, children definitely aren’t born hard workers! (Or tidy kiwis for that matter)
Don’t underestimate your kids
Perhaps consider whether you are making assumptions about your own kids. It could be involving food, sport, school.. Encourage them to try new things. Encourage them to try something again that they didn’t at first enjoy! Encourage them to do their best even in the areas they struggle or dislike. If everything is too easy there’s probably not a lot of growth happening. We want our kids to develop grit. And remember to set the bar high – high enough to challenge them, without crushing them. Don’t underestimate what your kids are capable of!
