| Harvey Howard is the owner of My Gym | | | | Parents need to realize that some kids can |
| Children’s Fitness Center in Cherry Hill, New | | | | waddle at 7 months and some who are just |
| Jersey. He is a certified special education teacher, | | | | getting it together at 15 month. Everyone would |
| elementary teacher, guidance counselor, and | | | | do themselves a great service if they just took a |
| student assistance professional located in New | | | | deep breath, looked at that fact, and relaxed |
| Jersey. In this article he outlines a few of the | | | | knowing that their child is on the right track. |
| major developmental milestones for children. | | | | Of course, parents should keep putting their |
| First and foremost, parents need to have some | | | | children into situations where they can see |
| flexibility when it comes to developmental | | | | something and may want to go get it—i.e. by |
| milestones. Too often, parents get wrapped up in | | | | walking. They should also make sure there are |
| the specific skills their child is able to do at a | | | | things around for the child to grab on to and step |
| young age, and the truth of the matter is | | | | up to. And parents should still step in and assist |
| different kids will pick up these skills at different | | | | the child with standing up on his feet if it looks like |
| ages. In general, parents need to calm down, stop | | | | he is getting close. But by and large, most parents |
| worrying so much, and just let the child be. | | | | would be better off if they could be calm and not |
| Typically, the biggest of these milestones that | | | | overact if their child isn’t walking yet. |
| parents focus on is walking. For example at My | | | | Another important thing to mention on the topic |
| Gym we have a child who is what you would call | | | | of walking—in terms of teaching appropriate |
| a “scooter.” That basically means he is up | | | | behaviors—is that kids take lots of falls. It is |
| and moving around, but he isn’t crawling on all | | | | part of growing up. But one of the worst things a |
| fours or walking—he is just scooting on his | | | | parent can do is to run over and freak out every |
| bottom with one leg in front of him. | | | | time the child falls down. A lot of bumps are just |
| Now some parents would be very upset about | | | | normal falls. That’s how kids learn to walk. |
| this—if their child is not meeting the | | | | But usually they will look up after the fall to find |
| developmental milestone for walking they think | | | | out whether it was funny or whether that was |
| something must be wrong. But truth be told, by | | | | something that hurt. So if the parents and people |
| the time that child is 3, he is going to be walking | | | | around the child are laughing and smiling, then the |
| and nobody is ever going to know that he used | | | | child will laugh as well. In fact, if you set the tone |
| to be a “scooter.” | | | | and the environment where the kid thinks falling |
| As long as the child is showing mobility, he is on | | | | over is funny, you eliminate 80% of your pain and |
| his way to developing his own patterns to get | | | | you really help that child learn how to brush it off |
| there and eventually he will get up on two feet. If | | | | and move on. |
| for no other reason, he’ll eventually get there | | | | With that said, you should still be nurturing if the |
| because walking is just faster and he’ll want | | | | child takes a bad spill or if he bursts into |
| to get where he is going in a faster way. So | | | | screaming pain. Picking him up and nurturing is |
| parents don’t need to twist their kids into | | | | exactly what you are supposed to do. But what |
| pretzels to try and get them to stand up and | | | | parents need to realize is that ever fall is not a |
| walk. They will do it on their own in their own | | | | life-threatening issue, and most of them are just |
| time. | | | | a part of the learning and growing process. |