As parents, our responsibilities to our children are unlimited, and getting almost all of them done is essential. But you will be surprised that one of these many responsibilities is also leaving the children every once in a while. I know how skeptical you feel after the previous statement, but take your time to read through. Leaving them in this context does not mean abandoning them as parents. Instead, it means accepting a responsibility to permit our children to do something without our interference. This sounds simple, but it can be difficult, especially for the overprotective parents. A few points on how this can be done will be pointed out in this article.
Be an observer but do not do it all for your children: The statement leaves your children does not mean leave as stated earlier, it only means cutting them some slack. But parents should be aware of what their children do during this period of non-interference. That means knowing the activities our children engage in, watch them engage in it, and sit still until they need our assistance. Assistance in this context does not necessarily mean getting it done for them. All our children might need at a particular time might be the motivation to keep going, and as parents who are present, we should be able to do this for them. Motivation can come in any form; the circumstances will determine the best one to apply.
Be there when they ask you to assist or guide: The fact that it is required that children have some “me time” is not a free pass for parents to take that as a break on parenting. Parents should be on standby just in case there is a need for immediate attention. The truth is we don’t have to physically engage in what our children are doing to assist them; our presence alone brings motivation to them on occasions like sports, games, and the likes. But in some other circumstances, our children might just be needing our assistance on a particular event, and being present at that moment will help them get through it.