The other day my son made a pretty big mistake. It was the type of mistake that hurt him a lot. Not physically, but personally. What was even more difficult was the fact that I had told him that if he chose to do what he wanted to do it would turn out badly. Being 11, he decided he wanted to learn that for himself and try it anyways.
And now he is hurt.
Because it is important to me that my son learn valuable life lessons, I usually try to capitalize on as many of these moments as I can. When the emotions are high and consequences are at their peak, that’s some of the best times to learn.
But, sometimes, it is much more important to let the lesson slip by and simply care for the heart of my son. To hold him. To let him know that I still love him in tangible and physical ways. To reinforce the emotional connection with my children instead of the intellectual connection.
We are much more than our rational minds. We are complex, complete people who need to be connected to others. NEED to be connected to others. Without it, our lives become painfully thin.
Photo credit Leslie Duss