Moms Talk Q&A

That parents want the best for their children usually goes without saying. Additionally, we try to help them avoid situations that were memorable or painful to us when we were young.

Furthermore, we go out of our way to do things for them that will make their lives easier and their childhoods happier.

But is it possible to do too much?

Can our efforts promote irresponsibility or, dare we say, laziness?

As a case in point, one mom told the story of her young son who had misplaced his backpack over one of the recent snow days.

When the time came to get back on the bus for school, the backpack was nowhere in sight. Mom explained that he needed to keep better track of his school necessities even as she tried to help him find it. In the end, the son boarded the bus without his stuff. He was upset, and so was mom. But she felt that the natural consequences of showing up at school without his supplies would make such an impression that he would never allow it to happen again.

However, as the morning played out, mom got in the car to get on her way, and there in the back seat was the backpack.

So… Does she take the backpack to school and save the day? Or does she keep it and allow the “lesson” to play out, for natural consequences to take over?

Another mom asked if she should have to continue the daily ordeal of trying to wake her high school son. The alternative is to let him be late day after day until he gets a detention or worse. But would the detention teach him to get himself out of bed?

Our question for this week:

Do we allow ourselves to be the perpetual problem solvers our kids have come to expect or do we allow natural consequences to do some of the teaching?

Moms Talk is a new feature on Lower Macungie Patch that is part of a new initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to moms and families. 

So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation with members of the Lower Macungie Moms Council.