Friends I know have a little girl they allow to be little girl, to run and fall and climb trees and explore her world.
Often other parents will say things like "She's climbing a tree! But what if she falls?" or "She fell over aren't you going to help her?"
Most of the time she falls and it's nothing, she's back on her feet running again. She's not crying and not in need of help. Imagine if her mum ran to her every time she fell! It's like saying don't move and don't have fun. And I've known children who weren't allowed to leave the couch when going to visit people, no matter how bored they were. Sad and awful and not fun.
As for climbing trees, I climbed trees when I was growing up, I still climb them now even though I did fall out of one as a teenager. I landed on my elbow and thought I broke my arm. My dad inspected the damage and all was well and I was able to go back out and climb some more, none the worse for ware.
I also had incredible bike accidents, though thankfully nothing more than bumps and scratches. And I ate of the ground and am still alive to talk about it.
Getting hurt is part of life. There are bee stings and falls, bike accidents and burns, a germy lolly on the ground that looks enticing to a small person, along with broken hearts as we get older.
It is part of life and what experiencing life is all about. No matter what, we cannot save our children from everything that will hurt them during their life. It's all well to try the best you can to protect your children and keep them safe, however you still must let them learn about and explore their world.
Teach them the things they can do, teach them they're strong and capable and courageous and curious. Let them be children and allow them to have as much fun as they can.
No comments:
Post a Comment