What parent doesn’t wish they had more time? Self-reliance in your children is an excellent trait that can free up your schedule by limiting the little interruptions throughout the day. Additionally, being able to handle situations independently is a necessary part of growing into adulthood. Below you will find some recommendations for parenting hacks that save you time through developing self-reliance in your kids.

Let Them Figure It Out

While it is often tempting to try to solve all of your child's problems for them, it is counterproductive to them being able to handle their problems on their own. Regarding parenting hacks, consider setting up a mediation type system in your home that doesn’t require your participation. Even with a system in place, it is crucial to know when to intervene. Don’t immediately step in when there is a problem but rather give them a chance to solve the problem independently. However, if the problem starts to escalate or is clearly too big for them to handle, feel free to interject some wisdom.

Weekend Sleep Clock

The reason this made our parenting hacks list is because it provides you and your partner an opportunity to sleep in on the weekends. Simply set your kid’s alarm clock for an hour or two after they usually wake up. Explain to your children that if they wake up before the alarm clock, they can quietly play in their room. If you or your partner have to go into their room for any reason before the alarm goes off, you will add a few more minutes to the clock. Once the alarm goes off, it’s time for something special (snuggle time, favorite breakfast, or any other fun weekend morning activity).

Identifying Laundry

Utilizing a dot system on children’s laundry is one of our most brilliant parenting hacks because it makes sorting a breeze for you, your partner, or nanny. Simply use a permanent marker to put a dot or dots on the tag to represent birth order. You can even do this with hand-me-downs (just add another dot). The dot system is simple enough that even young kids can use it to sort laundry. You can make it into a game that provides a natural opportunity to teach them how to fold and put away clothes which eventually leads them to take care of their own clothes after the laundry is done.

Additional Resources

Investing in teaching your children self-reliance can benefit them immensely as they grow into adults. Check out the resources below for more parenting hacks and ideas on how to raise self-reliant individuals.https://www.lds.org/topics/pef-self-reliance/live/teaching-children-to-be-self-reliant?lang=eng&old=truehttps://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2015/08/09/7-rules-for-raising-self-reliant-children/#389d62ca6603http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/tip/daily-tips/increase-your-kids-self-reliance