Great idea but we must teach kids the basics too
Elaine Hunter, 49, of Perth, mum to Murray, 12, Finlay, nine, Fraser, seven, and Emily, five, fears we’re making it too easy
I can see the sense of this in some circumstances and perhaps for younger kids, but I think we should continue to teach our children basic skills.
When my daughter went into primary one, she was learning how to do the buttons on her school blouse and gym top. That was something the teachers focused on.
At home, she is learning to tie her laces and she’s not six yet.
With the boys, because they are all two years apart, there was a bit of a competition as to who could tie their laces first and then who was the fastest. This is a game they invented themselves, so they turned learning a skill into a game.
When they were very young, of course, the Velcro on their trainers was a quick and easy way for me to get their shoes on. When you’re a mum, trying to get from one place to another, even small tasks takes forever.
There’s always so much to take with you and so to be able to dress your little one quickly is a godsend. So I think easy fasteners and Velcro are great for this stage.
Also, once they are toddling about, they can put their own shoes on – and they get a sense of accomplishment from that.
But I do feel that you have to keep letting your kids progress in small steps as they grow older.
I totally understand that this kind of range would be perfect for children with special needs and for their parents, as it makes life a bit easier and they have an awful lot more to do.
But for kids who are one day going to have to be independent, then I think we have to teach our children life skills all the way up.
Even when they are at university, there will still be things you can teach them. Doing
buttons and laces may not seem a massive skill but it brings a level of practicality to learning.
In the same way, they love Lego, which brings together motor skills with problem solving.
So we want our children to keep learning lots of skills on different levels.
I don’t think making everything too easy for every child is preparing them properly for adult life. If they only work with Velcro or easy-to-fasten clips, and we don’t teach them about laces and buttons, then what’s next? Why would we de-skill our kids in this way?
I let my oldest son, Murray, cut some of our grass. He’s 12 and we have gone over all the safety issues and I am there, keeping an eye on him at all times.
He loves it and it makes him feel that he’s helping me but also that he’s being allowed to do a grown-up thing.
So he’s growing up and learning and that’s surely what good parenting is all about. Children seek new things to learn all the time. As long as it’s done at a pace your child is happy with, then there shouldn’t be a problem.
I won’t be buying the easy to fasten range for my kids – they’ll be doing laces and buttons to keep learning as many practical skills as they can.