Kiasu parents take note! This is how you prepare your children for life

While parents are caregivers for babies, they also need to train their children to be independent and free-thinkers. If you’ve noticed, that’s always the norm in the jungle kingdom. From birds to mammals, parents teach their kids to fly or hunt, and then let them live on their own. 

With human babies though, that cycle is far longer – 18 to 21 years at least.

Now, we are not saying that you teach your child to hunt food and leave them out in the open. But making them self reliant and independent will surely give them the skills to deal with the world confidently and on their own terms. 

That’s exactly what this mum has been practising with her 17-month-old baby. 

TikTok user Laura (@lauralove5514) has been sharing videos of her parenting tricks and tips and in one viral video, showed her 17-month-old toddler Jonah making his own snack, much to the surprise of other users. 

Making homemade snacks for toddlers using gentle parenting 

@lauralove5514

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Laura is a mum to a three-year-old and a 17-month-old baby and practices gentle parenting. This is where parents treat their children as equals and encourage them to learn good behaviour. 

The mum is trying to make her kids self-reliant from a young age, she says. And this includes doing everyday tasks on their own. 

In the video shared on TikTok, the toddler can be seen making his own snack, albeit following instructions from the mum. The video shows Jonah trying to peel a banana. When he struggles, the mum demonstrates first how to do it and then lets the toddler try again. 

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In the next sequence, Jonah can be seen using a child-safe slicer to spread chocolate hummus on a piece of bread. The little one finds it difficult to do the task, but once again, the mum steps in and demonstrates how to do it.

Laura explains her actions, “If he’s having difficulty with something, I will model to him or use hand-over-hand one time to explain how it’s done and then after that I just kind of let him do his thing. It’s important to try not to fix what they’re doing.”

She further adds, “If I were to go in after and add more hummus or spread it out more, that would give him the idea that his job wasn’t good enough, which would defeat the purpose of trying to give him self confidence and independence.”

The video shows Jonah making his snack, which includes a piece of bread covered in chocolate hummus, and two small banana slices. Boy, that’s some hard work from the little one is indeed impressive! 

Netizens love the idea of the toddler making his own snack

Viewers truly appreciated Laura’s parenting style and Jonah’s snack-making skills too. 

One user wrote, “You’re teaching them to be independent and that’s a wonderful thing. I did the same with my boys.” 

Another viewer commented, “I love this. It actually builds confidence. This kid [is] gonna be a champ.” 

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One user rightly said, “This is how you prepare a child for life.”

That’s why many experts believe that preparing children to be independent at a young age makes them more successful as adults. This is largely to do with the fact that independence comes from a certain degree of discipline and that helps adults navigate through life in a better fashion.

When kids learn to be independent at a young age, you are not only encouraging them to be independent of taking care of themselves but also of developing their own personality, career, and life choices. 

The key is to encourage them and every effort they make to learn and grow on their own. As parents, you will also always be their guiding light and voice of reason, but you cannot shield them from all the shortcomings in life.

That’s why Laura’s parenting technique isn’t just about teaching her kids new skills. It’s also about allowing them to make mistakes and learning from them. 

Three homemade snacks that toddlers can make at home

Let your child try these making these snacks, under your supervision of course. 

1. Apple race car 

A recipe your toddler can make on their own and even get creative with. This one takes little effort and is absolutely safe. 

Ingredients:

• 4 jazz apples
• 16 green grapes (cut in half)

Method:

1. Cut two full cheeks from the apples and slice out to create a wedge. Parents can make the slices for the kids beforehand.
2. Slide the toothpicks through each apple wedge to create car axles.
3. Place the cut grape on each side of the toothpick to make it look like wheels 
4. Serve on a plate.

2. Two-ingredient pancake

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas (ripe)
• 3 eggs 

Method:

1. Mash the ripe bananas well.
2. Beat the eggs and add them to the mashed bananas until well-combined.
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan over low/ medium heat.
4. Add a small cup of the batter to the pan.
5. Cook until bubbles form on the surface. Then flip the pancake and let it cook for about two minutes.
6. Serve with maple syrup or honey.

3. Three-ingredient mini muffins

You can try this recipe with older kids and have a blast decorating the muffins. The more batches you make, the more fun it will be. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup thickened cream

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Spray the mini muffin tin with cooking spray and keep it aside.
3. Take a bowl and mix the flour and sugar together. 
4. Add the cream and fold the mixture until all the ingredients are mixed well.
5. Add the mixture into the muffin tin and let it bake for 15-20 minutes
6. Parents, remove the baked muffins from the oven and let it cool for two minutes. 
7. Garnish with chocolates and candy.

This article was first published in theAsianparent.