Have you ever been afraid to jump?
What does it mean to allow your kids to take risks? Isn’t it our job to protect our children?
Will they get hurt? What if something terrible happens?
But what if that small jump leads to something greater?
What if, by teaching our children to take more risks, we challenge them to reach beyond what they are capable of?
When my son was younger, I was the parent that was so fearful of something happening to him. I was always ready when he would fall. I was great at introducing new adventures, but they were safe and usually risk-free.
My girlfriend had a son was full of a different kind of adventure. He loved to climb trees and jump off anything he could. I loved that she encouraged it.
Together my son and her son brought out the best in each other. They were always biking down steep hills, falling, and skateboarding off ramps that ended in scraped knees and bumped elbows. Most of all, enjoying the falls that built them up.
I remember my friend reminding me of the joys children feel when exploring adventures.
Have you ever been afraid to jump?
What is so ironic is that I was the risk taker when I was younger. I had no fear of falling. I climbed the tallest trees, jumped off anything I could find, and broke so many bones that it never stopped me.
As a parent, our fears of something happening to our kids show. This builds their fear of trying new things.
They need to learn to fly and fall to get back up again.
Becoming a preschool teacher, I have embraced letting the children fly, fall, cry, laugh, and love adventure.
I can encourage the love of taking risks.
14 Responses
So true! Love this. Let them jump!
Absolutely! Fearlessly 🙂 Thank you for your comment!
Love this!
Thank you so much!
Yes! Agree 100%
Thank you!
Its so hard to trust your kids to keep themselves safe after spending so much time helicopter protecting them from harm. But you’re so right! Letting them jump helps them from fear.
When you love your children so much, you forget that jumping is growing. You are right; our fight and flight take over to protect them. Letting go is never easy. Watching them fly is a wonderful journey.
Absolutely lovely! It’s every mother’s fear that something might go wrong. But we should let them jump instead!
Absolutely lovely! It’s every mom’s worry that something might go wrong when you let your kid explore the world by themselves. But we should let the jump instead!
Absolutely lovely! It’s every mom’s worry that something might go wrong when you let your kid explore the world by themselves. But we should let them jump instead!
It is so easy to put our own fears onto our children! Sometimee we need to take a deep breath and watch them grow 🙂 thank you for your response!
Best teacher and friend we could ever have asked for and needed 💕
Your family and your daughter made everyday amazing for me. What I gift I was given 🙂