There are a million times in the life of a parent where one  needs to have faith, let go and allow your children to do it  themselves. It seems so easy and logical. Well, of course, we  have to let our kids do it themselves. But, when we are going  through the issues our children face, we often want to do it for  them. It could be the first time they are trying to sleep by  themselves, or the first day of kindergarten. Perhaps, it is when  they are having some battles with their peers during grade school.  Or maybe the day you see them walking off to high school with a  backpack bigger then they are. The first year of college can be  tough to witness – their bravado as high school seniors reduced  to an uncertain wide-eyed freshman once again. The first time on  stage we worry if they can remember all their lines. These are  just a few of life’s examples of when we, the parents, can’t do it  for them – but wish we could.

Sometimes we get drawn into doing it for them as much as we  can. We help with their projects, practice their lines, push them  through college applications, and prep them for their driving  tests. We linger in kindergarten classes and hover over them to  “help” get their homework done. It is scary for parents to “let  go”. We want so much for our children to succeed that many times  we do it for them and coddle them through rough times. But do we  really help or do we hinder?

The amazing thing about children is that they grow and  mature. Many obstacles they face in their lives are timed to  coincide with their maturing process. We may not think they are  ready for the new challenge but they rise to the occasion. We  may receive comments about them. “Susie did great in that school  play last week.” “Congrats on John’s acceptance to Stanford. You  must be proud.” Even though you sweated through the learning of  the lines or getting the applications in on time, they did it and  truly with little help from you. There are so many times in our  lives as parents when we need to have faith and let go. By  having faith and letting go kids feel our belief in them. They  sense the confidence we have in them (even though we don’t feel  it absolutely). Time and again our kids show the world and us  what they are capable of. We need to be there for their rise and  boost them when they fall. Watch them mature. When you get a  compliment about them, pass it on to them. The compliment is  theirs not yours. They need to get the praise they deserve.  Tell them how proud you are of what they accomplish. That will  give them the boost they need for their next challenge.