The phrase “I myself!” appears in a child’s vocabulary at about 2–3 years of age. But the moment when the baby becomes independent and does not need the help of his mother is still far away. Mistakes of parents. The task of raising an independent child causes difficulties for many parents. Upon careful analysis, it turns out that this is not the fault of the children, but of mothers and fathers, who initially chose the wrong strategy and are now reaping the fruits of their mistakes. It is difficult to teach a child to be independent if:• overprotect him;• do not allow him to take the initiative;• do not show him a personal example; • do not teach him responsibility; • keep him within strict limits. The best results of teaching him independence are shown by the democratic style of education. Authoritarian and indulgent parents most often raise children who are not independent. What are the advantages of independence. An independent child is quite capable of caring for himself in everyday life, as well as making decisions, understanding their consequences and responsibility. At the same time, the child knows exactly what is good and what is bad, what he is allowed to do on his own, and where he should not go without permission or accompaniment of adults. As a rule, children become independent by the age of 9–12, when they enter the puberty phase, sometimes earlier. An independent child is distinguished by the following internal qualities: • self-confidence; • determination; • responsibility; • initiative and activity; • ability to overcome difficulties. Practical recommendations. Thus, the educational process should be aimed at training these qualities. In practice, this is not difficult to implement if you adhere to certain rules: 1. Delegate some of the simple homework to the child.2. Give him certain powers and let him take the initiative (for example, today the baby is on duty at home).3. If you entrust your child with some work, you do not need to help him. He must complete what he started, even if you don’t like the result or the work process takes a lot of time.4. The child must understand his responsibility. This comes with experience, so parents need to be patient. Start with simple tasks, gradually expanding your baby's area of ​​responsibility. For example. Instruct your child to ensure that the markers are closed with caps and that the plasticine is always in a closed box. If you don’t clean it up, everything will dry out and you’ll have to throw things away. Do not buy new things until the child sees a cause-and-effect relationship.5. Let a child 4–5 years old and older dress independently - as best he can. Don't help him, even if you're in a hurry. It won’t be long before your baby learns to dress himself, so plan extra time into your plans. Respect your child’s desire to help, guide him, but don’t do the work for him. Praise for taking the initiative, but remind them of responsibility for the results and consequences. Don’t indulge your baby’s wishes, but don’t limit his freedom too much. Love and take care of your children!