The article discusses the importance of teaching children independence and life skills in a safe and supportive environment. It begins with a reflection on parenting and the author's concerns about their children's preparedness for the real world. Highlighting a practical example, Instagram creator Janssen Bradshaw shares how she encouraged her daughter to navigate an airport alone, turning a familiar task into a confidence-building challenge. The experience proved successful, as the daughter gained confidence and skills. The author expresses a desire to apply this strategy with their own children for fostering self-reliance.
"Last summer we challenged our 11-year-old to navigate us from the car to our airline gate," she begins. While the family had been to plenty of airports, their daughter had never been in charge of knowing where to go and simply followed her parents as I’m sure is the case with most families with kids.
"The good news is that we were there to answer all of her questions or make suggestions to help her get on the right track," Bradshaw adds.
Ultimately, all went well. So well, in fact, that when the family returned to the airport later that year the daughter was 'thrilled to show off her skills and very confident.'
This is such a simple strategy but one I’d a) never thought to employ and b) one I want to try in the future.
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