Independence
My eldest son is seven and a half years old, and the battle between mom and son right now is control vs. independence. I want to keep the control and he wants all the independence!
Can he go into the refrigerator and get a snack without asking? Do I let him ride his bike way down the street without me? These are some of the questions I ask myself.
As a mom it is hard to release that control, but I must trust that I have trained him to make good choices. And if I am going to continue to train him, I must teach him to realize that there are consequences to poor choices. And in order for that to happen, I will have to allow him some of that independence.
I am still in process about where to draw the line and where to release the reigns, but Lord willing I will have it all figured by the time my three-year-old turns seven.
But it’s a process.
At least your 7 year old is wanting that freedom. Ours is begging for us to stop trying to do things on his own, like tie his shoes or clean up his plate. He doesn't want to go play on the playground unless we are on the playground with him (even though there are plenty of other kids there to play with). He's holding with a death grip onto his mommy's skirt and doesn't want to let go to even be a normal 7 year old. Thank God that you have a confident little child. You've raised him right.