Homegrown Learners

Learning to roller skate takes a lot of courage for some kids, and not so much for others.

One child may be cautious and move gingerly... sticking close to something to hang on to for dear life.

Another child may fly with reckless abandon the first time they put on their skates (ahem... one of my children!)

It got me to thinking about the benefits of both personality types - both approaches to life.

I want to encourage risk-taking and adventure in my children, but I want them to feel safe, too.

How do you balance the two?

I love Eleanor Roosevelt's quote: "Do one thing each day that scares you." I wondered what I do each day that scares me and I thought: NOT MUCH.

You see, I was thinking BIG THINGS -- daring and adventurous things.

I put it out for my Facebook friends and asked them what they do each day that scares them, People's definitions of what scares them were pretty different.

Here's how it went:

Me: I'm working on a little project.... need your help. Tell me ONE THING you do in a day that scares you.... be serious, ok??

Responses:

yell at the top of my lungs, scares me that I can get that emotional that quickly..

Run. I am scared that my body is too old and out of shape for this high impact

exercise.

watching my kids have a little more freedom everyday. Like walking down the street

with friends or learning how to cook.

Let my children leave me

Trusting God that he'll keep the kids healthy.

Any kind of yard work around the shrubs or deck - I'm afraid I'll find a snake!!!

Just living life involves a lot of risks, doesn't it?

Maybe we're braver and more adventuresome than we think we are.

I thought about things I do each day that scare me, and now I look at it differently.

Many of our everyday activities and natural progression of life are scary. I don't have

to take huge risks and do crazy things to make a leap of faith. JUST LIVING CAN

SOMETIMES BE A SCARY THING.

But, the good new is I don't have to afraid. I have a God that protects me. I have

faith. My God is a God of grace and forgiveness.

Just some Miscellaneous thoughts that were swirling in my head this past weekend.... you

have a lot of time to think as you're watching your children roller skate!