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Room to Grow
Giving Your Toddlers Independence and Encouraging Them to Explore
By Shel Franco
Kendeyl Johansen of Park City, Utah discovered an added bonus.
"I baby-proofed all of my kitchen drawers but left one accessible to my toddler and filled it with his toys," she says. "He knew this was 'his' drawer and it ended tantrums caused when I opened a drawer and blocked his access."
Ginny Hermann of Omaha, Neb., knows about the struggle for independence first-hand.
"One thing we are running up against right now is sometimes Sarah doesn't want to hold my hand in parking lots," she says.
Natalucci says this is the point where the growth and learning of toddlerhood must take second place to the guidance of a parent. The child's safety is much more important than her desire to explore the parking lot or to see how fast she can run away from Mom.
While that seems like common sense to most parents, the line blurs when you are "safe" within the walls of home.