Question
Our just-turned-six-year-old daughter, an only child, wants our constant attention and does not want to be alone when we are at home.
She wants us to stay with her longer when we put her to bed. She wants us to engage in conversation and play with her constantly. She wants us to play and bathe her at bath time. She wants us to help her get dressed. She wants us to wipe her bottom when she poops in the toilet. She wants us to go with her when we tell her to fetch something on the other side of the house. She wants us to go outside with her in the fenced backyard to play. Basically, she wants us to do most everything with her. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t (if we are not already occupied with something else).
She is currently homeschooled but separates from us easily for activities outside of the home (play time with other children, music class, art class, swimming lessons, etc.).
How can we encourage more independence when appropriate?
