Self-Reliance

Last Tuesday, my 8-year-old noticed her favorite shirt was stained after an art project. “I can wash it myself,” she declared with determination. Instead of automatically taking over, I remembered our family’s commitment to the Life-Ready approach. I showed her how to pretreat the stain, demonstrated the proper hand-washing technique, and guided her as she gently scrubbed the fabric. The look of satisfaction and pride on her face when she hung the clean shirt to dry told me we had a perfect opportunity to practice laundry independence in a low-stakes environment. ...

Last Wednesday, during our visit to the mall, my 8-year-old asked if she could use the restroom alone. “I can do it myself now,” she said with confidence. Instead of automatically saying no, I remembered our family’s commitment to the Life-Ready approach. I reviewed our safety rules with her—checking that the restroom was well-lit and busy, locking the door properly, and calling out if she needed help—and then waited just outside. The look of pride and accomplishment on her face when she emerged told me we had a perfect opportunity to practice privacy independence in a low-stakes environment. ...