I've thought about this quite a few times, and this morning I got to wondering again. Bean, my youngest daughter, was telling me about a dream she had, where a she and a friend of hers from school went to my cousin's house to hang out with my cousin's kids. Apparently the friend and my cousin's kids didn't like each other, so the friend tied my cousin's kids up with a rope, and there was a fire under them. Bean said she saved them. This makes me wonder what kind of fears she has, under the surface, that maybe she doesn't even realize. How do I address that? In the waking hours of daylight, all my kids seem like they have a pretty good handle on things, and they don't walk through the day timid and scared.
I remember as a child being scared of the big bad world; so much so that as a senior in high school, I had unexplained panic attacks. Of course, I didn't realize it then; the lens of adulthood and hindsight sharpened that focus.
It makes me realize that there is such a fine line between nurturing your children and making them feel secure and confident, and smothering and protecting them too much to where they fear even living life. I want to protect them and keep them safe, but I also want them to be strong and sure in their abilities. I worry that i shelter them too much, so I ease off a little, then I worry that by backing off, I'm throwing them to the wolves!
I've heard it said that if you worry that you are doing the right thing with your kids, then you are doing the right things. I sure hope so!
That is all:)
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