[Treblemaker]

How many times do I need to go down this path:

  ...
  - ask for help
  - try to explain how it's supposed to work
  - try to explain how it's not working
  - Listen to them come up with all the ideas that I've already ruled out
  - Try to explain why their preferred idea has already been
    ruled out or is not actually relevant to the problem
  - conclude they still don't understand the problem or even
    how this part of the system works
  - go ahead and just solve the problem myself
  ...
  

before it's OK to stop "asking for help", and just fix the damn thing?

[areeh]

I could see this the other way, where the reason this path happens is because of a problem with how the team operates so others are not in the loop on the problem or , even worse, the entire system. I think what the parent is proposing is trying to combat that entire issue