I am a mother of two young adults aged 27 and 25-years-old, and I still find myself being a mum. What I'd like to discuss in this article is the inclusion of your child into your day-to-day tasks and giving them the space to grow and make their own mistakes.

Some of the ways I chose to include my children was getting them involved in certain activities, such as helping me out in the kitchen. Since I am a kitchen fanatic and loved being in the kitchen, I used to ask my kids to be my sous-chefs and have them help me bake and cook. I also used to have them help me pack their lunch boxes for school and I had them write down a list of what they wanted to pack every day.

These little habits grew with them. Today, my daughter still prepares her lunchbox for work because she enjoys a healthy lifestyle, while my son loves to experiment in the kitchen. Starting habits young often goes a long way.

When I decided to contribute to 360Moms, I asked my daughter for her opinion on the subject I chose and her initial response was: “Mum, you need to remember that you raised a different generation.”

And she was right. My children were only allowed 30 minutes of TV per day and they were expected to read a bedtime story before they slept (which became a habit and till this day, both of my children are bookworms). I consider myself lucky because smartphones and tablets did not yet exist and I got to engage in different activities with my children. This is what I would advise you to do when they're at a young age: have them assist in small tasks such as grocery shopping, baking, etc. 

However, you need to remember that your children need the space to experiment, to make mistakes and to learn. My daughter believes that I am guilty of not giving her enough space – but I believe every mother is because she wants to ensure that her children are given support and guidance.

Your children will become frustrated with you for not giving them enough space to try new things (be it with your permission or without), and realistically speaking, there is not much you can do about it. For example, my daughter is into extreme sports, which I find dangerous, yet she chooses to pursue them because they make her happy. She has fallen over a lot and injured herself, yet she chooses to continue pursuing them. As her mum, I can only pray that she stays safe.

There is a fine line between including your children in everything you do and giving them space to grow and discover things away from you; it is a difficult task as a mother to find that line... Good luck!