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Fear and Freedom
Encouraging Our Children to Enjoy Their Freedom Despite Our Own Fears
By Silvia Lawniczak
Having a child who is as fragile as a porcelain doll, it's understandable that, naturally, I would tend to be a little overprotective. My special needs son is very vulnerable, and it would be irresponsible of me not to be extra cautious and attentive. But how much protection does he really need? How much is too much, and how little is too little?
There are no parenting books that explain where to draw that line, simply because each child is very different from the next. Many times, I'm afraid my own fears may compromise his freedom. Yet, I can see how heartbroken he is when he becomes injured at the expense of a particular activity. Their welfare is our responsibility, and it's a tough job to figure out where that line is to be drawn.
We must encourage our children to enjoy their freedom despite our own fears. Risks will always be there no matter what, and, with our guidance, children will learn which activities are worth the injuries and which are not. Only experience will teach us where we draw that line with our own children.
Recently, I was offered the option to have my son take the bus to school in the morning and bring him back home in the afternoon. Up until this point, I was picking him up and dropping him off at school myself. It felt like a good idea to show him some freedom and save me some time in the morning as well.
To say I was apprehensive about this big step is an understatement. He is only 5 years old, after all, and not a normal 5-year-old either. Our friends and family were skeptical, but he was so excited at the prospect of taking the famous "school bus," I realized it might possibly work. I arranged to have him in a wheelchair from the time he left the house until the moment he entered the classroom to avoid anyone wanting to pick him up or hurt him in any way.
