Should Parents Let Their Kids Fail

Personally, I live by the words of Frederick Douglass, “without struggle there can be no progress”. As a parent, this means I let my kids make mistakes and I let them fail, from a very young age when the consequences are minimal, so that they and we learn how to cope, how to pick ourselves back up, how to process failure, pain, disappointment and embarrassment. So we asked you,

Should Parents Let Their Kids Fail

Thomas Beer: I think it depends on the situation. If he was going camping and it was going to be 20 degrees or less, I’d check it and make sure it’s good to go. Letting someone learn the hard way is just us letting our pride get in the way of being good people. Another lesson you could be teaching him instead is that we should look out for one another. Teach him kindness, and how to be humble. Teach him to care about the lives and safety of others.

I’ll tell you, one of the lessons above will develop a person stronger, wiser, kinder, and happier. The other will develop a person who is selfish, prideful, intolerant, and resentful.

Chad Dale: Yes sir. Agree 100%.

Letting them learn the hard way is a great way for them to learn. As the clichéd saying goes, “The world will chew you up and spit you out”.

If kids learn young that poor choices equal harsh consequences then HOPEFULLY they’ll learn to make intelligent choices.

If we as parents protect our children from every poor choice they make then, more often then not, they’ll be inept without our guidance.

Jayson Robinson: Absolutely one learns most through failure. The ones that learn with their hand held will want their hand held through their young adult life. I could never hinder my child no matter how difficult it is to watch them struggle with failure.

Simon Diamond Grant: Do NOT always catch them if they fail (fall) they have to learn it the hard way sometimes… we parents aren’t gonna be there forever i don’t want my kid thinking I will always catch him because one day I will be dead and he will be on his own with no one to catch him like i said show them that u are there but they still have to get up on their own

Michael Earl Washuck: I won’t go that hardcore but ya you gotta let them feel pain and fail a bit in order to learn. Whatever you do tho never burst there magical bubble. Once you do that you let all the stresses of the world in to affect them. Example don’t ever tell your two year old girl how to dance. Just let her do her thing and enjoy the beauty of it.

Mark Booth: Parenting done right.. I would say how ever .. that you should also explain why you are doing what you are doing so he doesn’t resent you and think you’re just being a dick.

Flickr photo by Chris Potter.