Letting my kids fall is hard and letting them do it literally when I know that they could be hurt is even harder. Dylan has taken up a new passion during this "stay at home order" and it happens to be a dangerous one. Skateboarding has become Dylan's thing. He loves it, he works hard, he gets frustrated, and he falls. However, he also succeeds. It is hard to stay put and let him keep trying over and over again. It would be easier for him (and I) to give up and go home and sit on the couch and watch a show but it is not what is right. I need to let him fall. I need to let him get back up again and I need to let him succeed all on his own. His struggles bring about the uncomfortable feeling of frustration and we all have the ability to learn to be uncomfortable in that feeling and run from it or learn to embrace that feeling as being a sign of learning and growth. Each time Dylan is frustrated he is also learning something so important. He is learning skills. He is learning what to and what not to do the next time. He is learning how to keep going. He is learning how to believe in himself and not give up. I don't want to watch him fall but I have to. I don't want to watch him be frustrated with himself but I must let him work through his feelings on his own. He is becoming an amazing man and in order to give him the space to be all that he can I will watch him fall down, brush himself off, and I will cheer him on when he tries again.
