My daughter is 2 and a half. Now that the weather has warmed up, we've been spending more time at the local parks again. The changes in her coordination since last fall are pretty amazing to see.
Last spring, she would only climb up on the playground equipment with help. By last fall, my help was no longer needed, but having me there as a safety net was necessary for her to try climbing.
This year, she has started climbing the obstacles on her own while I watch from a short distance.
She did find one obstacle that was a bit much for her though. She climbed up on the first step, and then back down.
Up again.
Down.
Up one more time.
Down again.
Then she had pulled her courage together and climbed up the ladder, as the arch of the ladder pulled her into a different position, however she was unable to figure out how to continue on. She looked around, then called out, "Daddy help me, Daddy I need help."
I ran over and put my hands around her waist and helped her to the top.
Cute story isn't it? It also struck me as an outline for any time we attempt new challenges.
We start off with help and instruction from someone. It might be a person there with us, or a video or a book, but we start with help. After a while, we can do it on our own, but it is nice to have a safety net, someone to give us corrections. Eventually we gain confidence and try newer and bigger things.
What we have a tendency to forget a lot of the time, is how to call out for help. Too often we realize we are in over our heads and we forget that it is okay to ask for help.
