Table 2.
Individual examples of helping and parental views on unhelpful helping.
| Example | |
|---|---|
| Other forms of helping | “She loves to wipe the refrigerator clean.” – Mother of 21 month-old girl |
| “She tries to help me apply makeup. If I need something from another room, she’ll want to get it. She likes helping washing cars. She helps me turn on the Apple TV.” – Mother of 44 month-old girl | |
| “Telling me when something is wrong, closing doors for me, opening doors for me, helping me carry things.” – Mother of 50-month-old boy | |
| “Helps to find lost objects, like TV remote, car keys, shoes, etc.” – Father of 26 month-old girl | |
| “Answer phones. Taking care of someone who is sick. (get blanket, crackers, water)” – Father of 39 month-old girl | |
| “Getting diapers for his little sister, and choosing clothes for the day.” – Father of 49-month-old boy | |
| Responses to unhelpful helping | “… Throwing away trash, she doesn’t always put the things she should in the trash can or she will put them in and take them back out again. We just have to make sure the trash goes in and stays there. Also, we have to check several times a day to make sure that she hasn’t put things in the trash can that don’t go in the trash. We believe she lost one of her favorite shoes that way.” – Mother of 14 month-old girl |
| “Cooking is always an adventure. Recipes might not turn out to be 100% accurate but she’s learning so I don’t care too much about it. Cooking makes her happy so it makes me happy as well.” – Mother of 21 month-old girl | |
| “Yes it is usually unhelpful and makes everything take longer, but she loves learning new things and it is my job as mommy to teach her all of these things.” – Mother of 32 month-old girl | |
| “He sometimes sprays too much cleanser while dusting, I have to remind him it only needs a spray or two and he’ll stop (but forget the next time).” – Mother of 51-month-old boy | |
| “Sometimes she gets in the way of gardening or steps on plants. I just explain to her that she is hurting the plant and she normally stops.” – Father of 38-month-old girl | |
| “My son throws away his own trash when I ask him. Which is helpful. He likes to help me in the garden, which is a mixed bag. He always goes to the grocery store with me. Which is neither helpful nor unhelpful. He feeds our cat which is helpful every morning before daycare. He loves to help me vacuum which he honestly just sort of gets in the way but I think its good that he is attempting to help.” – Father of 48-month-old boy |