My daughter, who turned 3 in June, is completely resisting independence. She requests help with tasks that I know she can do (I've seen her do these things!), such as getting dressed, going potty, putting shoes on, etc. She is a very smart and verbal little girl and she likes to try to manipulate situations to her benefit. It's too the point where she will say "I need to go potty! Mommy, I need your help." and stand there until I help her take down her pants, get onto the potty, wipe, flush, and pull pants up. I've tried to encourage her to run to the potty herself and get on, but she is so stubborn that she would rather stand there and have an accident waiting for my help than do it herself. I've tried saying things like "Once you get yourself dressed we can go to the park/ library/ play in the backyard, etc. but that does not motivate her- she will just find something else to play with instead. Just now, she undressed herself because she wanted to put on her swimsuit (clearly she is capable of dressing/ undressing), and I told her it's not time for pool, we are going to the library after lunch (something that is very motivating to her!). She has now been sitting here naked for 30 minutes refusing to dress herself. When she does actually choose to do something herself, I praise like crazy and make a huge deal.
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Help! Any suggestions would be appreciated. Some days it feels like I am helping her more than my 16 m.o. son! And some days when I am really trying to get somewhere, I've even resorted to bribery (something I DO NOT want to do!). Thoughts??
