re: Letting Go A Little.

Quoting sunkissed☼sweethear:“ I have a hard time letting my son be, well a "boy". They like to be rough, and take risks, and i have a really hard time just letting him, in fear of him getting hurt.”

You and me both.
My son is such a boy it scares me. Sometimes I don't know how I haven't had a heat attack. And all his step dad can say is let him be a boy, If he falls he will lean not to do that again... YEAH RIGHT.,

Quoting xxnine_inch_nailsxx:“ You and me both. My son is such a boy it scares me. Sometimes I don't know how I haven't had a heat ... [snip!] ... a heat attack. And all his step dad can say is let him be a boy, If he falls he will lean not to do that again... YEAH RIGHT.,”

I know what you mean. At 2 he had already had staples and stitches. And both times an adult was RIGHT there with him..lol. They were things that you wouldnt' think he would get hurt doing.
At 3 years old my husband had already been hit by a car, and had managed to climb the exterior of the house and fall off and need stitches.....
um... boys will get into anything..lol

I was a BIG-TIME tomboy, with three brothers. Yet I was always the one beating up other neighborhood boys who fought with my brothers, and stubbed my toes and got scrapped knee's...etc... The only grip I have with parents rearing their children is at a restaurant and the children are running up and down the restaurant in the isles nearly knocking down the waiters/waitresses while the parents are oblivious.

My daughter is very rough and tumble and my son I know will be even more so. I used to hover but I realized that she'll only resent me for it later on. I still stay close by but I'm not as anal about it now. It's hard and you worry about them hurting themselves but we did the same as children.

Quoting SpaceCowgirl:“ I've thought about this before. It's easy to say, "I would never let my child do that." But who knows ... [snip!] ... be kids. They'll get scraped knees and bruises and maybe even broken bones but it's better than having them live in a bubble.”

that reminded of the scene in Finding Nemo when they're in the whale.

Marlin "I promised I'd never let anything happen to him".

Dory "Well that's a silly thing to promise. If you promised never to let anything happen to him... then nothing would ever happen to him. Not much fun for little Harpo!"

 

Quoting Jess Bootyfuck:“ So today my SO and I were in the car and we were passing by a beach that we have gone past a thousand ... [snip!] ... child. I feel slightly dumb for writing this but I just want to hear the opinions and experience of others on the matter.”

I think that has to be decided on a child by child basis. When the time comes, though, I think what a good parent does is let the child go despite the horrible pit of fear in the stomach, and smile when they do it so the child doesn't know just how afraid the parent is. I never had any idea as a child my parents were probably scared shitless half the time, but as a parent myself know, I know they must've been, heh.

We have a natural inclination to protect our children, but I think a lot of parents go overboard and instead of just protecting, they coddle and hobble the children by not allowing them to take risks. And, as I said, I understand why, I feel that fear too, thinking about letting my children go out into the world - but I know I have to if I want them to be well rounded, fully functioning human beings.

C.