To all the protective parents out there:
We have 2 kids, our youngest is somewhat of a klutz. If there is a way to injure himself on accident, he will find it 90% of the time. Because of that we tend to be a little over protective of both of our kids.
One day while taking a family walking trip his older brother jumped up on the 4″ curb we were walking next to and began balancing along it while walking. My youngest, 6 years old, jumped up right after and started doing the same thing, without hesitation my wife told them both to get down at that point. Citing that it was broken in places and jagged in others, and they could fall.
I thought to myself, fall? Like 4″ fall? Geez woman! How are these kids ever going to make it in this world without falling and knowing how to scrape it off and get back up? That thought led to this one: Would we let them marry?
I mean, we have been together for going on 15 years by now, and married for almost 10…that is a long time. While I have enjoyed most of it, there has been that, let’s say ≤ 5%, that has been tough on both of us. We have fallen at times, we have scraped our knees and we have hurt one another. More so than that of a fall from 4″ off the ground. More importantly is that we have picked ourselves up every single time, we have not given up on each other and we are still together and stronger for it!. So I ask, will we let them marry? Knowing the hurt and heart ache, the pain that could possibly be endured? Some people have been put through hell and put themselves through hell for the love they sought after, just to be devastated in the end. Others have one of the most blessed unions on the planet.
I veto’d her that day. Told him to jump back up there and try his hardest not to fall. She gave me what we have come to endearingly call “The Dagger Eyes”, but she let him do it anyway. That day we ended up walking 1 mile for every year he was of age. Not a bump, scrape, or complaint.
I suppose the moral is this: Be cautious, teach your children to be cautious and to look for possible threats and dangers and avoid them when they come, but at the same time teach them how to get back up and dust themselves off. More importantly, let them live! We all believe that our child is special, one of a kind, we just need to let them become what they were always meant to be.
ES
TakingiNTally 