Let The Bad Thing Happen

A thing I frequently do as a parent: stopping my kid from doing something so he doesn’t screw it up.

I wish I could stop this. Here’s why:

  1. He’ll learn not to screw the thing up by screwing the thing up. As long as the stakes aren’t too big, that’s a good deal, long term.

  2. He’ll become dependent on me if I do everything for him. I want him to be independent.

  3. When he sees me step in when he’s about to try something new, it discourages him from trying new things, generally, in the future.

  4. I don’t like the implicit message it sends when I step in: “You are not able. You will screw this up and that is unacceptable.” I want my attitude and message to be more like: “You are able but have a lot to learn. You might not do this perfectly, but that’s okay. That’s a good way to learn.”

What’s more: That probably ought to be my attitude about myself more often, too.