Asking for Help When Truly Stuck (Not as First Resort): Building Problem-Solving Independence in Children
Last Wednesday, my 8-year-old was working on a complex puzzle that had been challenging her for 20 minutes. She’d tried multiple approaches and was clearly frustrated, but instead of immediately asking for help, she kept experimenting with different pieces. Finally, she came to me and said, “I’ve really tried everything I can think of, and I’m still stuck. Could you help me figure out what to do next?” The look of pride mixed with genuine need on her face told me we had a perfect opportunity to practice appropriate help-seeking in a low-stakes environment. ...