My kid won't stop climbing everything!!! This week talks about a common issue parents face, particularly with young kids, but gives a different perspective on what might be driving this behavior in our littles.

What in the Week - while we want our kids to understand how their behavior impacts others, it's also important to help them understand that they are not responsible for the reactions and feelings of other people.

When all we do is chase the behavior of our kids instead of trying to understand the 'why,' we miss key opportunities to teach what to do when they feel similar ways in the future.

Now on to climbing.....a lot of the boundaries we put in place as parents use safety as the justification. The truth is, though, that our kids are usually appropriately exploring their environment, and our anxiety as adults convinces us they're unsafe, so we intervene.

Climbing is a very normal, typical part of development and kids climb for different reasons:
1. They're exploring their environment
2. It uses different muscle groups
3. It helps develop their sensory systems
4. It helps regulate them

Instinctually, kids know how to trust themselves, and their bodies send them signals when they are reaching their limits of exploration. Their bodies are designed to protect them, above all else.  By overcommunicating our fear as adults, we don't allow them to listen to their bodies in this area, stunting the development of their understanding of themselves.

Our kids are much more likely to hurt themselves in more day to day activities. This source lists these activities:

• Rollerblading or skateboarding
• Playing on a playground
• Trampoline use
• Bicycling
• Handball
• Ice skating

Because climbing helps develop our proprioceptive and vestibular systems, it can also be regulatory for kids who need this type of sensory input. It's important to always look for the reason behind the behavior, and look for ways to meet their need in a more appropriate way, as opposed to simply try to make the behavior/need go away.

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