Supernanny Jo frost has blasted parents who are making a big mistake that parents are making these days which stops children from learning vital skills.
We all want to raise our children to be independent people, but at the same time we want to help them out and many parents find themselves doing a little too much for our children.
Getting our kids a drink of water, making them a sandwich, and brushing their hair for them may be the easiest option when we are busy. Letting our children do things for themselves or help us out is definitely more time consuming than when we just do it.
But it’s not really helping in the long run.
Supernanny points out mistake parents make
This is exactly what Supernanny says parents are doing which is not beneficial for them. ‘We’re pushing children along on bikes instead of teaching them how to ride them, we’re keeping them in strollers when they should be walking, climbing, building strength,’ she said on Instagram.
‘We’ve got four-year-olds still using dummies when that was only ever meant to be a short-term aid, seven-year-olds who can’t brush their teeth properly without an electric toothbrush, eight-year-olds who can’t sit at a table and use a knife and fork, nine-year-olds who don’t understand bathroom hygiene.’
RELATED: Supernanny divides opinions as she calls out ‘biggest problem’ she sees with parenting
Jo continued, adding: ‘Every time we step in or avoid teaching because it’s slower, messier, or inconvenient, we take away an opportunity for them to become capable. We keep them infantile.’
‘Whether it’s riding a bike and pushing down on those pedals, brushing their teeth, tying their shoes, wiping their own bottom, using a knife and fork properly, washing their own hair and brushing it, cleaning up their stuff, or simply helping around the home in general, life skills aren’t optional extras, they are essential building blocks for adulthood.’ The TV star went on to say that children don’t learn these important life skills by ‘watching us do everything for them’.
She urged parents to ‘carve out the time’ and teach our children the things they need to know so that we raise future adults who can do things for themselves.
People praised Jo in the comments, with one teacher saying they ‘couldn’t agree more’. ‘Having worked as a teacher and headteacher I could not agree more @jofrost A growing number of parents expecting schools, teachers and teaching assistants to train their children to put on their socks and shoes, use the loo, wash their hands afterwards, the absolute basics.’
‘I have a private practice and specialize in anxiety related school refusal and yes, we are absolutely creating a generation of people who have very little confidence or ability to persevere,’ said someone else and a third wrote: ‘Don’t forget not being able to tie up shoes, the amount of year 6’s I’ve spoken to who don’t know how to tie shoes.’
