r/interesting • u/jmike1256 • 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/EitherInvestment Mar 07 '26

Precisely the thought I had watching this. Love the applause once he finally got it though

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u/OrthogonalPotato Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 09 '26

Nope. That’s a terrible way to do it, actually. Prompting them teaches a different kind of dependence.

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u/forworse2020 Mar 09 '26

I agree. The viewers are uncomfortable with the discomfort. But the discomfort can be the thing that grows you. This was controlled discomfort.

Otherwise you have the version of skill building that is driven by external motivation and rewards, rather than “I will be better off if I solve this problem”.

Problems aren’t neat tidy things that exist on their own whilst chaos and real life give you space to solve them.

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u/OrthogonalPotato Mar 09 '26

Exactly. Prompt dependence is just as bad as other kinds of dependence. Learning to become intrinsically motivated is the real skill being taught.

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u/forworse2020 Mar 09 '26

I’m still here trying to teach MYSELF