While we don’t want to encourage parents to wilfully put your child in dangerous situations, we do also believe that children who are allowed to assess and take their own risks make more confident, curious learners, who can confront their fears and understand they are in control of their own destiny.
So much of the messaging around early years parenting is focussed on safety and prevention (of illness and accidents), that it can feel terrifying to allow your child to take certain risks. Don’t jump from that wall because you’ll hurt yourself, don’t touch that plant because it will sting.
We encourage you to asses and take your own risks when it comes to giving them the freedom they need. Have confidence in them to make the right decisions. If they are allowed to jump from the second step, they will usually have a good feel for whether or not it’s safe to try jumping from the third. If they have never had the opportunity to jump then they can’t possibly know if it will be OK or not.
If you don’t ever try, how can you know what you might have been capable of?
