Without the struggle, there can be no strength
When our children encounter difficulties our parental instinct is to step in and "help". As the mother of a 20-year-old, I have had many opportunities to hold back and watch the struggle. It is hard, but I have seen firsthand the fruit that comes from struggle:
- The courage to face your fears.
- The confidence to know you can handle anything.
- The resilience to recover quickly from difficulties.
- The resourcefulness that comes from learning problem solving skills.
- The open mind that comes from a lack of fear of failure.
- The self-awareness that comes from learning what is important.
Our job as parents during the teen years is to watch our children walk through the difficulties life brings and be present for any questions they have. Robbing them of the opportunity to practice handling life's struggles while they are still in our home only delays their pain to the day when they are facing these struggles on their own without our advice and guidance.
The next time your teen struggles in any of these 5 relationships, resist the urge to rescue and step back and let the learning begin.
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