Holding on Tight

Maybe it is my fear of making too great a mess, or perhaps in an effort to keep them my babies a little bit longer, I have always been very involved in feeding my children. After watching Bryce spoon an entire bowl of chicken noodle soup onto her lap, I purchased bowls with straws attached to them and held her hand as she lifted the ingredients into her mouth. When Brody  has trouble “stabbing” small ingredients like beans and peas, I often do it for him.

Similarly, I have been very involved in dressing and undressing my children – especially in recent months as they have been using the potty – as well as opening and closing toys and prying loose small pieces that have gotten stuck. While this may seem like typical parenting, and it largely is, I have noticed a bit of reliance building up in my children. In connection with this, their little hands are not getting the proper workout they need to build strong and flexible muscles necessary for accomplishing the tasks I have often been completing for them. The teacher in me is taking a deep sigh here.

But, since recognizing an issue is also part of this process, I have been taking steps to rectify my ‘speed over stamina’ approach to parenting these last few months. Part of the appeal process has been this putty, which my kids treat as modeling clay. However, in actuality it promotes coordination, agility and gives those tiny hands the necessary strength and flexibility that they need to accomplish everyday tasks.

We have Humactive putty in medium (green) and firm (blue) resistance strengths, and I often take it out and hide tiny objects in them like beads or small action figures for my kids to fish out. They like the challenge and their small hands are definitely getting a workout as they peel , pinch and push through the material. I have also noticed in recent weeks that they are a bit more dexterous and confident when using utensils at the dinner table, and I am trying my best to resist the urge to feed them.

Even more recently, I have been using it as a form of stress relief – especially when they come to me with the same broken toy over and over and over again for fixing.