Letting Go

For Parents:

The hardest thing, as a parent, is relinquishing control. We know we’ve had more life experience, had time to accrue a bit of wisdom, and have tripped over our own untied laces - so why not spare our children the pain of suffering their own falls? We love our children and our instinct is, of course, to shield them from adversity.

But maybe in this shielding, we are depriving them of the opportunity to learn what they are capable of, what they might become. Maybe in shielding them, we are sending a more subtle message that they should be fearful of that adversity - that they may not be strong enough to survive it.

So instead of building a fence around our children, let’s build a bridge to the outside and encourage exploration. Instead of advice, offer support, loving presence, and curiosity.

This may be the hardest thing to do, but well worth the effort.