Giving Children Freedom to Grow
We love our children. We will do almost anything to help them grow and become the amazing adults we see waiting to burst forth from the guise of childhood. We know they have greatness lurking beneath that façade of awkward teenage angst. But, our kids still need to be kids, not superstars. We need to let them play just for fun, not to perfect their swing or the B-minor scale. They need to sit around and relax, even get bored, so they can learn to entertain themselves. Our children need the freedom and space to explore their inner talent—to dance with it, wander away from it, and return to it in their own time with only encouragement and support from us, not pressures and demands. When our children know we accept them in their marvelous ordinariness and wonderful averageness, they gain the internal freedom to excel “just because they want to.” When they know we will encourage and support them in their awkwardness and failures, they are free to explore, takes healthy risks, and really grow. Under your loving support and encouragement, you might even see inner greatness blossom in your children as they mature into the amazing adults you see hidden beneath their childhood skin.