To Help or Not To Help

My little fishie, 12.5 months old, feels so accomplished that he can pull himself up to a stand and play at that level for hours (that's what it feels like to him, at least). But, he is afraid to get down from that position - afraid of gravity and his uncoordinated muscles make it hard for him to trust that he can get down in a controlled way without bonking his head. So he asks (more like screeches) for me to come stand near him and either help him to fall gracefully... or pick him up.

 

This is an interesting METAPHOR for my role in the rest of his childhood. If I come to his aid too quickly or too much, he may be stifled to learn on his own. Yet, if I don't come to his aid and insist he figure it out on his own, he may learn not to ask for help (not a great option either). Usually, the answer is somewhere in between the 2 extremes.

So, whether I let him fall... or help him fall... or protect him from falling, I will teach him this valuable quote I found in college that really changed my outlook on life:

"Success is not measured by how much you fall down, but by the grace in which you get back up."