How To Raise A Child Who Is Very Independent
You may feel that your child is very independent or always wants to impose his will when it comes to something he wants to do on his own, that is not a bad thing at all and you must make sure that his personality is not harmed by the fault of impositions of other adults.
It is true that it is good to feel how our children need us, it is natural, but as they grow up they should begin to have their own control of things, but without it being something too fast. It is necessary to find the balance in the independence of your child because he wants to show his identity, our help and respect for his personal space.
If your child is very independent, you need to educate him by following some strategies, because independence is fine, but it has to be something healthy to help him grow.
Beware of pressures on children
Children do not like to be pressured, especially if they are independent and want to do things for themselves (the reality is that adults do not like to be pressured, because then we block ourselves). Just as it is counterproductive to push children to be more independent when they are not ready, neither should you make them dependent with inappropriate pressure.
For example, if a child is able to dress himself but needs time to do it because he is small and his movements are not yet as fast as you would like, why do you wear him?
It is no excuse that you have to leave home quickly or because it is getting late . If you inhibit your child’s independence, you will be directly attacking his self-esteem, what he needs is that you respect his time to show yourself that he is capable. And if it costs him something more than the bill, you will only have to offer him your help and give it to him if he accepts it. A child must feel safe and secure in order to move forward.
Your son has his own idiosyncrasy
Children are all different from each other and what you should not do at any time is to compare him with other children who do different things than him. You need to recognize all the good things about her being independent and that is showing you that she has a good personality. This marked personality will most likely help him to be successful in the future if you teach him emotional education at the same time (to connect with himself and with others).
Respect his space but do not move away from him
Independent children want to search especially for their identity at an early age, but so that they know that there are also rules that they must follow at home, allow them to choose options but those that you have decided are good alternatives. In this way he will be able to understand that he has his independence but that there are a series of rules that must be accepted in order to live in harmony.
Teach him to respect others
When children are very young, sometimes with the desire to show their independence they can annoy other children and even their siblings, so that this does not happen, it is incredibly important to teach them to respect and understand others. Working on empathy and assertiveness is very important in all children, but even more so in children who are innately (and not only developmentally) very independent.
Look for cooperation games
It is also very important that children who are very independent learn to cooperate and play with other children. Social skills are essential for life and children who are very independent tend to be somewhat more lonely and introverted (although this is not the norm).
In this sense, competitive team games, cooperative games, board games to play in teams, playing with school friends … all are good options for your independent child to work on the necessary social skills so that they can also to be independent, know how to interact in a group.
Do you have a son who is very independent? What are your strategies to educate him? Remember that you must give your help and support unconditionally, but respecting their space and capabilities at all times.
