This is not meant to ruffle any feathers, but it may. Here's the question. Have you ever witnessed a coach, teacher, or parent who unknowingly coddles a child? This person may be well meaning and loving, but it's in the not letting a child fall on his or her face that the learning and growth opportunity is slipping by. It really is true, failure is the next step to success.

Sometimes in our want to shelter and protect our students and loved ones we take away the best learning opportunities. It's easy enough to always make sure that a child's homework is done. It's a little bit more unnerving to trust that the person is responsible enough to do it on their own. Will it get done right and will the individual get the grade that they desire?

As a coach it's easy to bring a person along because they have talent and could do really well if they were to put forth the effort needed to bring their talent to the front. What if the person is unwilling to do the work necessary to help themselves and the team? What's the best way to handle this situation? I would suggest that it's not to give the same reward for the work that's not being done. How will the lesson ever be learned if there is no consequence?

What about moms or dads who feels that their child can do nothing wrong? The young person can get into trouble, treat others with disrespect, and in general continue to display an attitude of entitlement. What's the best way to deal with this situation and what are the negative repercussions if nothing is done to help the young person deal with reality?

As adults who are frequently in charge of young people we must realize that allowing young people to make mistakes and then learn from them is quite possibly the single best way for a youngster to develop the reason, common sense, and survival skills necessary to become a contributing, vibrant member of society. Failure, more then success, can be a young person's best learning tool. We as adults must coach them and encourage them through their failures but we must still let them try and maybe fail on occasion. We as adults must trust that they will get it even though it can be painful to watch.

Let them fail, Fred Nicklaus


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