I have had a  secret theory for awhile now, and I know it is going to just shock some of you…

You know how there are all these activities we are supposed to do with our babies and our kids to "strengthen" their skills?  I can’t think of all of them right now, but I am pretty sure they are all bunk.  I am nearly convinced that our kids will acquire the physical skills that they need if they are given enough time.

Blown away by my theory?

Let’s take tummy time for example.  I am a lame-o when it comes to making sure my babies get tummy time.  I would rather not hear them fussing and whining, so I leave them happily on their backs.  And guess what?  They all crawled.  Sugar even crawled at seven months.  And I am proud to say that I am currently a mother of three healthy strong necked children.

Here’s another one.  Engineer is left handed and last year in preschool he worked a lot on cutting with scissors.  He was not great at it.  Yesterday I asked him to cut something and though he was hesitant, he did a great job though he hasn’t used scissors in over a year.  (No, he was not one of the culprits involved in the great cut.) 

Eat cheerios, it’s good for the pincer grasp!  Use sign language so your baby will communicate with you!  This mobile is great for eye development!  This seat will help him sit up faster!

Really, I don’t think most of this stuff is really all that necessary for a child’s development.  I think most of it stems from our instant gratification society.  And I am not saying that all that baby advice out there is garbage– I spend a lot of time reading and singing with my children, for example.  It’s just that I am pretty sure if we all took a step back, and give our kids some time that they would learn the skills they need.

Just my theory.  Do with it as you will.