Do you challenge your kids to be all they can be?

[homesteadmamma]

Do you allow others to say "oh poor baby, he can't do that"? Do you stretch them over the comfort zone?

Our son with autism doesn't like to try new things period. So I've always made him do it at least once. He wasn't going to go down a water slide. In fact, he refused. I told him just once. Climbing up those stairs, he shook all the way and yet, I assured him dad would be at the bottom and he'd only have to go once. Well, after his first time, he decided he just might go again. When we left, he had gone 47 times on his own and was grinning from ear to ear. This is just one example of pushing him over his comfort zone.

How about you? Is it a struggle for you to push them beyond their limits?

[AandAmom]

We constantly push Amanda to try just a bit harder. Some people see it as me being pushy, and overbearing. I see it as showing her her limitations, and showing her the "I can do anything" mentality.

This works for us. Probably not for everyone, but works for us

[Jerseygirl]

I push and push and push. I make dss try everything! He went for the first 6 years of his life eating 5-6 foods, with us he tries anything I put in front of him. Dh will regularly say "he won't" he doesnt like" "he doesn't want to" and my answer is the constant he will at least try it. We have taught him to throw and catch a football and frisbee recently, we have been working forever on riding a bike, when he says "that's all" his way of saying he's done, I insist on 5 more minutes. It is the only way to move beyond the chicken nuggets, french fries and sesame street his obsessive compulsive streak relies on.

[heaven]

i also push all of my children. I figure how are they going to learn and enjoy life if they live just in that comfort zone???? if it doesn't hurt them then i figure we should push some.