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By Dr James Dobson
One of the most difficult choices parents must face is deciding when to let children suffer the consequences of their actions and when they need rescuing.
The road to success is fraught with failures. Every winner has at one time felt the pain of defeat. Our children must go through hard times for them to grow. Yet, it is tough to stand back and watch them struggle. Our love for them makes us vulnerable to their needs.
Life brings pain and sorrow to little people.
And we hurt when they hurt. When others ridicule them, when they feel lonely, when they fail at something important, when they cry, when physical harm threatens them. These are the trials that seem unbearable to those of us who stand and watch from the sidelines. We want to protect them from life's sting, to hold them within our embrace.
Yet, there are times when we must let them struggle. Children can't grow without taking risks. Toddlers can't walk without falling down. Students can't learn without facing failure and adolescents can't enter adulthood unless we release them from our protective custody. It takes a wise parent to know when to intervene and when to let them profit from their stresses.
From TODAY, Voices – Tuesday, 07-Jul-2009
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