Let Your Child Make Mistakes. Valuable Life Lessons

SAN DIEGO - Sept. 1, 2020 - PRLog -- Parents can create perfectionists by hindering the development of their child out of love while not even knowing it. The Director of Lifetime Montessori School in San Diego, Kristin Edwards, M.Ed., discusses why you should let your child make mistakes.

The Parental 'Don't Do That, You'll Spill and Break It' Mindset

Children's minds develop as they progressively move forward from crawling to walking to climbing and beyond. Each new day is a milestone in a young mind.

For example, your child starts walking and immediately wants to carry things or walk up and down the stairs. In their minds, they know that each new step means they'll be okay.

Sadly, though, many parents have a different attitude. In our minds, if the child carries a glass of water, they may drop it, spill it, fall or hurt themselves. And, we say, "No! Don't do that! You'll make a mess and hurt yourself!

"We want to protect our kids but we are creating accidental perfectionists because we're not letting them try to do something by themselves," Edwards says. How?

"We start telling our two year-old that they're incapable or that they can't do something.

And, after that, the child may rebel or just…won't…try…anything…new…that you ask them to help you do.

"A two year-old child WANTS to help," says Edwards. "They want to carry that glass of water themselves. And, they'll walk more slowly with their eyes glued to the rhythm of the water in the cup. Yes, they may spill it. But your child is honored to be given your trust. It's better to let them manage the situation. And the more they do that task, the less they spill.

And when they do spill the water, they'll have a new set of tasks to learn and apply—like getting a sponge and using it.

"Kids just want to be with you, be near you and feel needed. When they help you, they say to themselves, 'What would mama do without me?' But, if you tell them 'no' or 'you'll mess it up,' the child will no longer help you—because you've told them they can't do it right!"

The Montessori Method Difference

Montessori schools let your child make mistakes as Montessori students become willing to take risks and willing to make mistakes. And only by making mistakes can we learn from it. In that way, they don't become 'accidental perfectionists.' Rather, they become independent children who have NO FEAR of failure.

To watch virtual tours of each Montessori program or to meet with Kristin Edwards, book an online or private tour: www.lifetimemontessorischool.com/free-tours.