Relenting. The Fix: Say, "I am right here. You are safe. You will not break this." (Yes, just like a doula). Let them fail. A failed login is not a tragedy; it is a lesson in recovery. The Epidural You Need: Documentation After three weeks of teaching my mom how to use her new smart TV, I realized we kept having the same fight. She forgot the steps between Wednesday and Friday.
When I told my friends the title of this blog post, they laughed. Then they looked confused. "Isn't it... the other way around?" teaching my mother how to give birth
Who are you "teaching to give birth" in your life right now? Share the one skill you wish they would let you help with in the comments. And if you're a parent reading this? Go easy on your kids. They’re learning too. If you liked this, check out my other post: "Explaining Cloud Storage to My Dad Using a Closet and a Fishing Rod." Relenting
Taking over the mouse/keyboard. The Fix: Put your hands in your lap. Use verbal only instructions. "Move the cursor to the top left. Click once. Now type your password slowly." Pro tip: Let them press "Enter." That moment of success is the baby crowning. Celebrate it. Stage 3: Transition (The "Let me do it for you" Phase) Symptoms: Begging. "Please, just this once, do it." You will not break this
She wasn't giving birth to a baby. She was "giving birth" to a new version of herself: a widow learning to pay bills online, a retired woman trying to join a Zoom book club, a patient navigating a new health portal.
So, we created The Sacred Notebook .