One of my most memorable moments as a parent came when my son Matt was 7 years old. He was in one of his first little league games at the Ogdensburg School field. His team was winning by a run, the other team had two outs in the ninth with runners on second and third. Matt was playing second base and I was literally praying the ball would not be hit to him. Then a crack of the bat, a pop up and it was heading right for Matt. He reached up with a glove that was almost as big as he was. The ball landed in his glove and stayed there. I wanted to cry.
After the game I shared with Matt's coach how nervous I was when the ball was hit. I'll always remember what his coach Bill McNeir said to me: "I knew he could catch the ball Steve. That's why he was out there."
A new study out of England, The Netherlands and Australia found that parents who push their kids into trying new things actually help protect them from having too much anxiety when they get older. It turns out the pushier the mom and dad the less likely a kid will develop childhood anxiety disorders.
So encouraging kids to leave their comfort zones is good. It's good to lose a game sometimes and play rough. Putting kids in unfamiliar situations helps them develop confidence. Which will help them be more at ease taking on new challenges. Willingness to take on new opportunities will make them successful.
There's no doubt in my mind I was an over protective parent. My kids are grown ups now and I still worry about them. All you can do is show them a good example and give them a good foundation for the first 15 years. The rest is up to them.
Source: Pure Wow
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