struggling through to success

The larger village about 35 min drive from here (three villages over from us, population about 5500 I believe) is our municipality's center, and gets a lot of resources. There's the high school, library, swimming pool, movie theater, and a lot of shops. This summer they completed a new rope jungle gym, and though it is suitable for kids larger than ours, Leona has been enjoying figuring out the parts she can access, and testing and building her climbing skills.

Previously she has been able to climb up the chained links at the bottom of a rope 'tee-pee', but yesterday when we went, her shoes kept sliding rather than grabbing hold, and she kept asking me for help (sometimes whining/verge of crying...it's too hard, I can't do it, I need help, I want you to help me, etc.).

But I go more by the 'you climb as much as you are able to climb, by yourself' rule, so after explaining that, again (and again a few more times throughout this process), I tried to support her by showing excitement for her process and progress, her effort, and giving a few suggestions now and then.

And then, suddenly, she was up in the blink of an eye! It was amazing, and just confirmed to me again the importance of supporting them struggle through the growth with minimal nudges rather than helping them reach their goals.

[note E in the background mimicing L's moves, then giving up to gleefully run]

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