{"id":1226,"date":"2013-04-08T13:48:12","date_gmt":"2013-04-08T17:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.positivelyparenting.com\/?p=1226"},"modified":"2015-12-04T12:49:11","modified_gmt":"2015-12-04T17:49:11","slug":"young-child-miserable-quit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/parenting\/young-child-miserable-quit\/","title":{"rendered":"Young child miserable? QUIT."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Here is the scenario: Your three-year-old\u00a0said<\/em>\u00a0he wanted to play soccer. You signed him up, paid the money, cleared your calendar and there you are, every Saturday morning…miserable. The child didn\u2019t want to get dressed in his cute little uniform, he didn\u2019t want to put on his over-priced cleats, he didn\u2019t want to leave his Lego set, he didn\u2019t want to get into the car, and he cried and whined until he got to the field.<\/p>\n

Once there, he doesn\u2019t practice with the team, he doesn\u2019t run and have fun. He is either staring off into space or running tearfully to your side. As a parent, your blood is boiling. You are wasting your money andtime<\/em>. You are watching the other happy children and thinking, \u201cWhat is\u00a0wrong<\/em>\u00a0with my child?\u201d<\/p>\n

And it is like this\u00a0every single soccer practice. So, w<\/em>hat do you do?<\/p>\n

Let the child quit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Seriously, that\u2019s the answer. There is no class, no lesson, and no activity, nothing that is worth making your little three-year-old\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>upset.<\/p>\n

You might think, \u201cI spent $300.00 on this class, the child needs to finish it.\u201d<\/p>\n

No, they don\u2019t.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your three-year-old does not need to take soccer or music or swimming or anything else. A young three-year-old doesn\u2019t have the emotional maturity, nor do they have the brain maturity required to really be in activities.<\/p>\n

Extended group activities are often an unreasonable expectation! The young brain is not ready to focus for long periods of time, and children three and under are most content when\u00a0they<\/em>\u00a0direct the play. When the child has the freedom to flit from toy to toy, sandbox to slide, from play-kitchen to soccer ball,\u00a0that<\/em>\u00a0is when most young three-year-old children are happiest!<\/p>\n

You might say, \u201cBut allowing my little one to quit will teach them to be a quitter!\u201d<\/p>\n

No, it won\u2019t<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Allowing the activity to stop shows that you are paying attention, that you are attuned to your child\u2019s needs, that you value your child\u2019s comfort over money, and that you are not afraid to make mistakes and move on.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

There will be a time that your seven-year-old child will join something and you will hold a boundary. You may say, \u201cThe family has paid for these gymnastics classes. You will finish the four weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

You may say, \u201cThe basketball team is counting on you to show up and be part of the team. When the season is over, you never have to play again, but right now, we are keeping our word.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, if you are dragging a three-year-old to soccer and there is so much protestation and misery\u2026just quit. Stop. Go get some frozen yogurt and go to the park.<\/p>\n

Let it go. Consider it a great parenting lesson (the first of\u00a0many<\/em>), and start enjoying your Saturday mornings again,<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here is the scenario: Your three-year-old\u00a0said\u00a0he wanted to play soccer. You signed him up, paid the money, cleared your calendar and there you are, every Saturday morning…miserable. The child didn\u2019t want to get dressed in his cute little uniform, he didn\u2019t want to put on his over-priced cleats, he didn\u2019t want to leave his Lego set, he didn\u2019t want to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-parenting"],"yoast_head":"\nYoung child miserable? 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