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It turns out, kids grow because adults present them with challenges.
I Love it When My Kids Fail
It means they are growing.
Growth does not take place in a vacuum. One of the worst things we can do to our kids is place them in an environment where they are continuously guaranteed success.
Babies Must Fall Before They Can Walk
Can you imagine if we never let our babies stand up? I mean, they are so unsteady on their feet and they could fall over. So instead of letting them toddle around and fall constantly. We just grab them every time they stand up and put them back down on their bellies. Or maybe, we know they need to learn to stand before they can walk. And of course, walking is an important life skill. So we just put rails up all over the place. Every 12 feet there is a low bar the infant can grab ahold of so that they never tumble over. Then one day, we let them out of their specially designed shelter and we are shocked to find they fall over. We taught them better than that! What is wrong with them?
That may seem like a ridiculous anology no is that crazy with how they raise their kids. But we do this exact same things with our kids frequently. It is done in more subtle, less visible ways. But we often hide their failures from…
