Sometimes the most difficult thing to do is nothing.  Maria Montessori is quoted saying ‘Teach me to do it myself” and this concept is part of the foundation for her popular form of education for young children.  It is better to teach the child to complete the task themselves, than it is to continuously help them to do it.  As easy as this sounds it can be quite tricky.  It is faster to quickly tie up a young child’s shoe laces, for example, than it is to watch them painfully struggle to do it themselves.  We are so often in a hurry during our day that we see these interruptions and interference in their tasks as us adults being helpful.  Sadly, unbenounced to most, we are not only doing our children a disservice but we are also telling them that we don’t believe that they are capable of accomplishing these things themselves.

Although I am a trained Montessori educator I still find it difficult to allow Abby to struggle.  I often catch myself reaching my hands out to help her with a toy or to move an object out of her way while she is attempting to crawl.  I must remind myself that the more I sit on my hands the more she is able to use hers to explore her world.