As American parents we are very concerned with the success of our children. So much so, we exhaust ourselves and them, striving for it. In extreme cases, as seen in the recent college admission scandal involving some of America’s elite parents, we are willing to manipulate circumstances in order to ensure the success of our children. This is just wrong.
Why?
We learn the most from our failures. When we take a risk, when we try something new or difficult, when we act with the best of intentions but fall short, we learn. What do we learn?
- We learn that failure is not the end.
- We learn that failure teaches us what we need to know to succeed.
- Failure teaches us character and perseverance.
- Failure teaches us how to own our mistakes and move forward.
- We learn that neither failure or success is our identity.
As parents we need to give our children permission to fail. In this way we help them succeed.
Life will be riddled with failures big and small. We can teach our children to navigate failure while they still live under our roof. This may be one of the greatest lessons we will ever teach them.
Brian Haynes 