“Marcus, don’t run! Later you will fall!” I heard one parent yelling at the top of her voice the other day. Errr…this command seems to echo my regular warnings to my boys.

Then on another occasion, I heard another parent repeatedly reminding her young daughter to be careful while the daughter held a harmless cup of water at room temperature. As I look at others, I realize that I might be also partly guilty of being protective over my children in some instances. Some parents may be so protective over their kids that they are so worried that a step off track might make them fall or fail in life. Some parents are afraid that their kids will make any mistake and guide their kids with iron hands.

While parents under this group pride over their high level of responsibility and involvement over their kids’ lives, they might also be looking at other parents, who let their children take the risk, as oblivious or irresponsible. Hence does responsibility for kids simply mean over-protecting our kids and hand-holding them in every step they make to ensure absolutely no danger and only complete success?

Actually the danger lurks! Over protecting and hand-holding them will result in the kids not having confidence in their lives, highly dependant, at complete loss when parents are not by their side, unable to accept failure, not daring to attempt new ideas, reluctant to take new ventures, totally lost in their lives later or even totally rebellious due to a build-up resistance to controlled lives.

In my personal opinion, parents should always allow our kids to have space for self-development, attempt new frontiers in life, not to fear failure, accepts responsibility when they err but improve and move on with lives. In this way, we are not retreating behind the curtains but simply taking a back seat to give the necessary encouragement.

Though there is never a guide to when and how parents should start to take the drastic step to letting ago and giving the kids the confidence to handle their simple steps in life, there must always be a starting point to prepare them for the long race ahead independantly.