However, the mom questioned why parents would want to do this. Her kid is having a great time.
In fact, she seems to intimate that parents will often superimpose what their idea of fun is with their kids. However, if children can be allowed to practice entertaining themselves without external stimuli, this is an important skill for them to possess.
Delaney says that she's noticed her baby daughter is so great at playing independently because whenever the kid is having a grand old time by herself, the mom doesn't interject herself into the child's situation.
"Because I think that would be fun for her. But I need to let her be. She is learning independent play and I think that's one of the reasons why she's such a good independent player," Delaney said in her clip.
The mom continued, "It's kind of that Montessori style parenting. Where if they're good, once they're locked in you pretend that they don't exist. She's chilling, I'm out here making banana bread."
According to the blog Play, Learn, Thrive, which was founded by Alanna Gallo, a former teacher with a master's in Education who's also a mom of four, this facet of early development is absolutely crucial for children to engage in.
Some of the benefits, Gallo states directly pertain to emotional progress. "Because play is the work of childhood, uninterrupted childhood play is vital. Children need play to work through feelings, ideas, and even things they are learning."
The educator also stated that when a kid's play isn't interrupted, it engages them in the practice of staying rooted in a task for extended periods of time. Getting lost in an objective could help a kid's attention span, which has been on an average steady decline throughout the past several decades.
This helps to foster a sense of self-reliance in children. Furthermore, if they're playing with other kids their age as well, it teaches them relationship dynamics and how to address "disagreements" that may arise throughout a play session.
Several parents who responded to Delaney's post stated that they appreciated her message. One mom said that she felt like having a "hands-off" approach sometimes is a bad thing: "Needed to hear this. I have this guilt that I should be engaging more."
Someone else said that they too have adopted an identical approach with their kid and it's done wonders for their independent play skills: "I've adopted this 'If she's not crying give her space' mentality, and it's really helped during her independent play."