Op-Ed: Twitter condemns dad who let daughter struggle to open a can. What should he have done?

Op-Ed: Twitter condemns dad who let daughter struggle to open a can. What should he have done?
Daniel T. Willingham
© (Photo illustration by Allison Hong / Los Angeles Times)
(Photo illustration by Allison Hong / Los Angeles Times)
When musician John Roderick’s 9-year-old daughter asked him how to use a can opener, he saw it as a teaching moment. He refused to show her and vowed that they wouldn’t eat until she had puzzled it out. It took her six hours, during which Roderick provided hints, cajoled, philosophized and occasionally teased her.
Why not just tell her?
But this reaction shows overconfidence in the answer to a difficult question, one that’s especially relevant as parents assist with remote schooling: When kids ask for help, what’s the right mix of support and challenge? If you “just tell them,” aren’t you undercutting motivation and the chance to build independence?

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