What the story tells us:


This story isn’t about a tricky coat zip or an impossibly heavy book bag. It’s about a child who has come to expect adults to step in, even when he’s perfectly capable. Rolo isn’t helpless - he’s used to being helped. Looking helpless = getting rescued and when help becomes a habit, effort goes out the window. He’s not resisting because he can’t. He’s resisting because he’s learned that if he waits long enough, someone else will do it.

Values Displayed

 * Emotional Regulation – Rolo needs to build emotional resilience around effort and mistakes, especially when faced with a task he thinks it’s “too hard.”


* Independence & Collaboration – This is the heart of it: Rolo has yet to learn the balance between asking for help and giving things a go on his own. The goal isn’t doing everything on their own - it’s having the willingness to try..

Links to School Readiness:

If a child always looks to others to step in when things feel tricky, it can feed into a bigger pattern of learned helplessness. Fast-forward a few years and that same child might struggle to manage homework deadlines, pack their own PE kit, or cope with failure in friendships. Independence isn’t just a practical skill - it lays the foundation for resilience, self-worth, and motivation as they grow.