Failing Forward: Into Safe, Loving Arms
I watched as the toddler tumbled down a full flight of stairs. I held my breath a bit while his Dad went down to retrieve him, we all did. Will he be OK? Kids make mistakes – a lot of them. Parents make a lot of mistakes too. The goal of parenting is to embrace and celebrate errors, mistakes, injuries, and failures; turning them into resilience, achievement, optimism, and success. If your child falls while learning to walk: exude confidence, cheer!, pick them up, dust them off, and set them back on their feet again. If they are hurt, take a moment to empathize and reassure. If they are injured, apply compassionate care and seek medical attention as needed. No matter what the mistake is, always "set them back on their feet". Continue to do this for the rest of your life. There are, however, some critical errors that do need to be prevented. For example, it's not beneficial to children to experience traumatic brain injuries,...