One of the best pieces of advice I have ever gotten was an offhand comment from a friend. “Your home should be a safe space where kids can make mistakes.” Our kids rely on us to not only provide those basic physical needs, but healthy emotional support as well.
Parents, at times, we get anxious. As we watch our kids walk through life, we see the potential pitfalls and are desperate to protect them from the Big Bad Wolf, the Monsters in the Dark, perhaps even the Shadows of our own Past.
If guided by fear, our guidance may be seen as irrational, or may smell of terror. We become tyrannical, domineering, vision clouded by uncertainty. (“What if they end up in prison? What if they get a B? They’ll never get into that competitive program!”)
When guided by love unstained by unreasonable worry, however, our corrections will be taken as just that: teaching moments to help our junior cricketers learn responsibility.
Evaluate your homes. Would you feel comfortable making mistakes there? Consider what changes could be made in order to make your home a safe space to make mistakes.
So awesome!!