Sometimes We Have to Let Them FAIL

As a parent, you want your children to succeed in everything they do.  And if we’re honest with ourselves, we secretly want them to be the best at it, too.  But sometimes, that’s not the case.  We have to accept that some things take a little more effort and practice.  We like to think that we’re supposed to do the hard parts for them and forget that they also have to learn by trial and error.  

If you are anything like me, the thought of my children going away to college scares me.  Deep down, I know that they’ll be fine but I can’t shake the idea of not being there for them when they face a major obstacle.  I know that I have to let them go and grow so it’s something that I’m mentally preparing myself to do.  I know it’s important in their growth into the men that we want them to be.  They will never excel if we try to live their lives for them.  We have to be ok with them making their own decisions (whether we like them or not).  We could absolutely know that their plans aren’t good and that there is a high likelihood of failure.  However, they MUST experience their failure in order to learn from it.  One of the mantras in our home is, “There is a lesson in every loss”.

I would love to be able to determine where my children attend college, their majors, the young ladies they choose to court, when they get married/have children, where they live after college, their first profession, etc.  But I would be doing them a HUGE disservice if I did.  I enjoy the boys that they are now and can’t wait to meet the men that they will grow to be.

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