Why It’s Good to Let Kids Fail
School today is very different from the experience most parents recall from their own childhood. Education has advanced in leaps and bounds; teachers today spend much time and effort catering to individual needs and abilities. But what about the lessons that can’t be taught from books? In a recent blog, family physician Dr. Karen Latimer speaks about the importance of allowing our children to figure things out on their own, without our constant intervention. “How to stand up for themselves–If I came home from school and told my mother I was having trouble with another student, she would either laugh it off, or offer some advice on how I should handle it. Today, the same conversation usually ends with the mom calling the school or the parent of the other child, and handling it from the top down. By enabling kids to avoid confrontation at a young age, we curb their ability to learn self-defense techniques.”
Indeed, as adults, our lives are shaped by our experiences–both positive and negative–and how we learn to handle them. If we try and protect our children from all pressure or “failure”, we deny them an opportunity to learn how to handle a situation when we are not there.
Has your child ever benefited from handling a difficult situation on her/his own?