To a certain point, yes. Most psychologists are very encouraging of parents to let their children make their own mistakes while the parents watch and wait if the child gets in too tight a spot. Overprotecting parents often cause more problems than they know. I think we are all over protective to some point , but need to give our children room to make and learn from life’s experiences. As a parent it seems like a bad idea to let your kids make mistakes. After all, isn’t your job to protect them, build them up and help them learn how to do things–perfectly? Kids need to learn how to fail as much as they need to learn how to succeed.
The old adage about learning from our mistakes is true. When kids make mistakes they learn not only about themselves, but also about the people around them. If you’re able to let and encourage your child to make mistakes, then they know you’ll still support them when they are not perfect. After my children make their mistake I help to guide them to learn from it. It’s not easy to sit back and watch your child’s frustration. The best you can do is prepare for its possibility and know how you’ll redirect your child when he does fail. As author Vic Johnson once said “In life, there are no mistakes, only lessons.”
I wrote this post today because one of my sons had made a mistake this morning and my other son said to me ” hey mom, you should write about mistakes on your blog.” I am so lucky to have such smart kids!