Ask for help when needed

When I was in third grade, this was one of our classroom rules:

Ask for help when needed.

That rule really stood out to me, seemingly out of place amongst such standards as Keep your hands to yourself, and Raise your hand if you want to speak.

But as I have thought about it more, I think that might be one of the more important rules in life.

Sometimes I wish my stubborn 2-year-old would follow it. She always wants to do everything ALL BY HERSELF. If she could, she would drive herself to the park and push herself in the swing, then come home and cut up an apple for snack time.

The thing is, I know exactly where she's coming from. I rarely get frustrated when she insists, "Me do it!" because I essentially say the same thing (albeit more politely, and with better grammar) to most people who offer to give me a hand.

It's fine to be independent, and no reason to have someone help you out to your car with the groceries if you can handle it yourself, but it's important to recognize when you do need help.

Besides, it usually makes a person feel good to help others. I know that when I get the opportunity to help someone out, even if it's just something simple, it makes me feel great for the rest of the day.

So, I'm learning: Ask for help when needed.

My daughter and I will be working on this one, probably for the rest of our lives.