My daughter is one of those wonderful examples of stubbornness where you know she is capable of lots of things if only she would apply herself to really get it nailed! But no, she will not do something until she is ready, that has always been 'her way', and that's okay!
But how do we motivate these little monsters so that they keep trying and keep pushing their abilities? Well with our little one, when she was really little, we tried everything. Getting her bottom shuffling was a real challenge until we realised that she enjoyed chasing dishcloths. She would watch us for hours throwing a dishcloth from one to the other over her head, she would try to move after it but couldn't quite get it. Then one day I threw it for her and said "could you get that for mummy?" and she went, bottom shuffling across the room like an energiser bunny. I cried with joy, it was such a silly but pivotal moment for us.
With toileting it was choc bars and choc drops that inspired both my girls to become independant in the bathroom. (Food seems to be a good motivator, shockingly!)
Over the years we have tried everything from sticker charts to marble jars, money to sweets... For each new challenge she needs to master it tends to be something completely different that motivates her. We are currently using pancakes with honey and chocolate sauce as a deal clincher to get her to do some yoga in the mornings, our 'secret Physiotherapy'! We have even sat there feeding her a mouthful for every pose she moves into... I know!
But ultimately it's all down to her, she will do things in her own time and at her own pace. That will never change! And actually this makes her a very strong individual, with little fear and lots of enthusiasm for trying new adventures.
What motivates your child to overcome a challenge? To try something new? Or to master that thing they have almost got the knack of?
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