I was out running at a local park this weekend, and it was one of those beautiful days that brings everyone outside to play. There were two little boys - I’d guess ages 5 and 3 - on their little bicycles, and they were biking on the same track where I was running. The older boy was riding just ahead of the other, and at one point, the older boy looked back at the younger and said, earnestly and sincerely, “Don’t worry, I won’t let you down!”
I spent the rest of my run thinking about that statement.
I won’t let you down.
At what point does the concept of letting someone down, of disappointing someone, of failing someone, enter into a child’s consciousness?
As a mommy, thinking about my little girl, the question broke my heart. I want my daughter to understand right vs. wrong and to understand what it means when someone says they are disappointed. But I want her to understand it later.
Somehow, the weight of being able to let someone down seems too great for my child’s small shoulders to bear.
So how do I, as a parent, balance teaching responsibility with letting my daughter be a child? How do I let me daughter grow without asking her to grow too fast? How do I protect her from harsh realities without over-protecting her?
