Have you ever thought your child was just being super lazy because of all their handwriting problems? You know that they can write better, neater and legibly because they’ve done it in the past, right? My Legible Handwriting for Kids program does just that!
Handwriting Problems and Lazy Children
“They’ve done it before so clearly, they’re just being lazy.”
Maybe that resonates with you or maybe something similar. I’ve had parents sometimes call me and feel a bit bashful to use the word “lazy.”
If I, as the professional you’re coming to for help, think your child is just being lazy, I have nothing. I cannot help. I cannot strategize. I can’t show up in the way your child needs because I cannot fix “lazy.”
Just for the record, I usually don’t think the kids are being lazy.
It’s an important message to get across because, again, we can’t fix lazy, but if we reframe our perspective, then BAM, suddenly we have a hundred options we can try!
You can call me (or your other favorite OT) and we can set up a session in the office or online.
You can look into testing to learn how your child learns best.
You can ask your child’s teacher for help.
You can find an amazing tutor.
You can ask why and we can have conversations about it.
Prefer to watch this content? Click my video below!
Whenever I talk with parents about the handwriting problems their child is having, and they say he or she must just be “LAZY,” I start thinking about Thanksgiving Dinner.
What does a turkey dinner have to do with handwriting problems, you might ask. I promise you, there is a connection! 🦃
Some of you might be, you know, your own little Barefoot Contessa or Martha Stewart and you LOVE Thanksgiving and cooking up turkey dinners.
Me? I would rather rip off a toenail than have to cook an entire Thanksgiving Dinner.
I do not cook 🚫 Thanksgiving dinner. I have hosted Thanksgiving dinner and we do eat turkey, mashed potatoes and all the good stuff.
We just get to it in a different way.
Could I cook a Thanksgiving Dinner? Of course, I could do it.
Would it be super hard? Um, yeah, it would be super hard. I would probably have to practice, more than a week. I’d have to practice making the turkey, making sure it comes out right so that you don’t ruin Thanksgiving dinner with a raw bird or a burned one.
So could I do it? Yes. But I won’t. It’s so much effort for me that I won’t.
Am I being lazy? I don’t think I’m being lazy. I’m being efficient. I’d rather spend my time doing other things. And lucky for me I have the choice to ask guests to contribute or to order from Fresh Market.
Now here’s the connection with our “lazy” kids and their handwriting problems.
Unfortunately, our kiddos don’t have the CHOICE when it comes to doing things that are really difficult: Thanksgiving Dinner difficult.
I want you to think of this “Thanksgiving Dinner” analogy whenever you think your kids are being LAZY:
- The kids aren’t being lazy. It’s just probably really hard for them to write neatly, copy from the board, think and get their ideas on paper, make their letters legible, ___________ (fill in the blank with whatever the thing is that your child is struggling with)
- Just like I have to work at 200% effort to get that turkey dinner on the table, your kids, whether it’s handwriting or anything else, have to work at 200% to do something that’s hard for them.
- Our brain is programmed to be efficient. Hence why I skip the cooking of the entire Thanksgiving Dinner and why your child will rush through writing tasks, avoid writing, write very little or write illegibly.
A New Perspective on “Lazy” Writers and Handwriting Problems
The reason I am sharing this Thanksgiving Dinner story is really that I want you to change your perspective. I want you to reframe how you look at your child when you think they are being “LAZY”. Reframing your perspective can be so powerful in how you show up for your kids and your life.
Now don’t get me wrong here. This doesn’t mean now that we see our kids are having to put in the “Thanksgiving Dinner” effort, we’re just going to let it slide and do nothing. No, no, no. Quite the opposite.
Now that you’ve reframed your perspective, you are going to figure out how to level the playing field for your kiddo and get the support they need to succeed in life and academics.
Handwriting Resources
I’m re-opening the doors to my Legible Handwriting for Kids (LHK) Program very soon! If you want a proven step-by-step guide to getting your child from chicken scratch to clear, readable handwriting, sign up for the LHK waitlist and be the first to know when enrollment begins, plus get notified of special offers and juicy bonuses! Click here to sign up for the waitlist.
Prefer to watch my content? Subscribe to my YouTube channel for handwriting videos and more!
