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The Power of Letting Go: Why Children Need to Make Mistakes
As a mom of boys, much of my motherhood has been spent ensuring their emotional, physical, and spiritual needs were met. Yet, there were moments when I couldn’t shield them from life’s disappointments or their own mistakes. I wanted so badly to protect them from the challenges and trauma I faced as a child that I often felt the urge to go above and beyond, fighting their fires or picking up their slack.
Parenting comes with a deep desire to protect our children from harm, pain, and disappointment. But when does protection cross the line into overprotection? And how does this instinct to shield them ultimately hinder their development? For me, a major factor behind my overprotectiveness was generational trauma, which profoundly shaped how I approached raising my children.
According to *Choosing Therapy*, 62% of parents report being “sometimes” overprotective, with mothers more likely to report it than fathers.
Many parents aren’t aware that the trauma they carry from their past can influence their parenting. I grew up with overprotective immigrant parents who only felt safe at home or within their own culture. As a result, my experiences of the world were limited. I wanted my own children to venture out into the world, but I constantly warned them to “be safe,” “be careful,” and “don’t…
