Families Growing Together: What We Don’t Tell Our Children

by Margaret Evans, Director of Lifespan Learning
Success comes from taking risks. Rewards of risks seldom leave us displeased, resulting in self-esteem boosts and other personal benefits. A risk would not be a risk if it did not have the possibility of failure. I sometimes wonder if we are doing our children a disservice by not telling them about the risks we take in our lives.
Many of us have great successes in our lives. We have worked hard for what we have and we are proud of our accomplishments. There are many of us who have been raised in households that taught us to present ourselves as the “ideal” person whose life reflects tidiness and composure. In actual fact, some struggle to take risks at all on a daily basis.
Why don’t we tell our children about the risks we take and how they affect us?
As risks are taken and the benefits achieved, our stories can be clouded by the power of success. We don’t talk much about the risk while we are in it but we are keen to share our triumphs. I believe this is because we are afraid of judgment or nay-sayers expressing their disbelief of the possibility of success. But the beauty of allowing our family members or children to see our risky endeavours can encourage others to see the possibilities that await them.
What areas of your life do you wish to grow? What are some potential risks that you could take that would foster that growth?
This month …
• Spend some time in meditation over some areas of risk that are already present in your life. How have you excelled and what are the benefits for you?
• As a family, try playing the game Risk. It is a game of strategy and chance to take over the world by battles whose winner is determined by the throw of a dice.