Mums should STOP packing lunches for their kids after they turn 8, says doctor

We are apparently doing too much for our kids and it’s not beneficial to them.

Now an American paediatrician is urging mums to stop making lunches for their children after they turn EIGHT.

Mums shouldn’t pack their kids’ lunches after they turn 8, says expert

Dr Damon Korb claims parents should allow their little ones to pack their own lunch boxes in order to encourage them to become “independent thinkers and problem solvers”.

“When we think about what we do when we make lunch, it requires planning and problem solving,” Dr Korb, who is author of Raising An Organised Child, told Australia’s Today Show.

“Kids need to think about ‘am I going to be hungry if I don’t pack enough’ or ‘what can I put in my lunch that isn’t going to make my mother mad’, or if we’re running out of jelly ‘I need to tell my mum so we’ll have enough jelly for tomorrow’.

“Those kinds of planning skills are important to be developed in kids and the everyday task of making a lunch are the way to do it.”

Dr Korb said that kids should learn from a young age how to make decisions and take care of themselves.

“It’s the skills they’re going to need as they enter into adulthood – to be able to take care of themselves, make decisions, help other people out and be good citizens,” he said.

“Our job as a parent is to coach them and teach them to do these things effectively and correctly.”

‘Kids should be making their own breakfast and lunch by the time they are 10’

Dr Korb also believes that by the time a child reaches 10 they should be able to make their own breakfast, lunch and do their homework load without guidance.

“Parents these days are afraid of their kids being bored so we pacify them by putting electronics in front of them or letting them watch millions of TV channels,” he added.

“But the reality is kids are best served going outside with a stick and a ball – and try to figure out what to do.

“Learning how to be creative and learning how to be imaginative are skills that we use to build problem solving abilities they would use later in life.”

Kids who help with the chores are more likely to be successful in life!

Meanwhile, another study found children who help around the house with chores are better at maths and science than those who don’t help out.

Paediatricians from the University of Virginia studied 10,000 primary school-age children.

They found that children who do chores, such as washing the dishes and vacuuming, had greater self-confidence and did better academically. Those who didn’t help out, were up to 30 per cent more likely to be dissatisfied with life.

Experts believe that helping with housework encourages children to develop self-confidence which then drives academic success.

“It is reassuring to find that traditional parenting practices, such as enforcing household chores, is associated with positive child development,” says Dr Elizabeth White, who led the study, which was published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioural Paediatrics.

“Our study findings support the idea that regular household contributions at a young age are associated with the development of self-confidence in early childhood.”

In another study, the Harvard Grant Study, researchers found that people need two things in order to be happy and successful in life: Love and work ethic.

“[The study] found that professional success in life, which is what we want for our kids … comes from having done chores as a kid,” says author Julie Lythcott-Haims, who wrote the book How to Raise an Adult.

“The earlier you started, the better. [A] roll-up-your-sleeves- and-pitch-in mindset, a mindset that says, there’s some unpleasant work, someone’s got to do it, it might as well be me … that that’s what gets you ahead in the workplace.

“By making them do chores — taking out the garbage, doing their own laundry — they realise I have to do the work of life in order to be part of life. It’s not just about me and what I need in this moment.”

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