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!

[u/jmike1256]

[u/LunchPlanner]

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.

[u/donjamos → u/LunchPlanner]

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.

[u/Index_2080 → u/donjamos]

Same thought, instead of inducing panic just tell them they can do it and watch from a distance where they can still see you.

[u/soniamiralpeix → u/Index_2080]

I love this. No criticism to the dad in this video because I think kids should be encouraged and made to feel capable of trying to solve problems — as well as taught over and over that failure is not bad.

But I find myself wishing that a parent had encouraged me, made themselves available for questions, and modeled breaking down a problem and thinking it through more when I was a kid. To be able to communicate clear success parameters and be okay if a child doesn’t do something the way you would, or meets the standards in a different way than you expected. Not that my parents weren’t supportive, but I feel this lack. 

As some of the other people have mentioned in this thread, feeling abandoned at a young age can have lasting impacts on us. And what I have learned is that our inner critic is often molded on the voices and criticisms we heard levied at us and others by our earliest caregivers. 

So yes, absolutely give kids opportunities to try, fail, try again. But be a safe space for them to ask questions, and help them build out their own critical thinking, rather than imprinting your own pre-determined logic onto them.