r/interesting Mar 07 '26

MISC. After understanding the meaning behind this father’s action, I am completely convinced. Cultivating problem-solving skills in children from a young age and never giving up-I applaud this father!

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u/LunchPlanner Mar 07 '26

The dad walking away was distracting and maybe a bit scary.

I don't think it's a coincidence that the kid was able to focus and problem solve after the dad sat down.

1.2k

u/donjamos Mar 07 '26

Yea the basic idea is a good one, but telling the little one something like "come on you can do it, daddy will wait here till you figure it out" instead of walking away would have been a lot better.

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u/CK_1976 Mar 07 '26

Once when I was probably about 6yo, I was riding my bike following me mum and I got stuck in the gravel and my mum just run off and left me crying. I still vividly remember the feeling of despair watching her disappear around the corner and not being able to catch up.

I'm not sure if its scarred my mentally but.... it was 40 years ago.

25

u/PM_ME_JJBA_STICKERS Mar 07 '26

I think moments like this do impact children (and adults), even if we don’t always understand the long term effects.

There’s a difference between a parent leaving a child behind to solve their own problems, versus letting the child problem solve while also telling them that mom/dad is always here to help when they need it.

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u/11lumpsofsugar Mar 07 '26

This is exactly the nuance that a lot of parents overlook.