Seeing your child fail is one of the most heartbreaking experiences, regardless of what it is they're failing at. As a new mom to an 8-month-old baby "it" was his ability to sit. For a while, it seemed like all babies could sit unassisted except mine, and despite reassurances from parents who said, "It's normal. Children reach milestones at their own pace", my worry didn't fade.
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That made it easy to relate to P&G's Raising an Olympian campaign and its latest video in which Olympic gold medalist Alex Morgan's mom shares her parenting philosophy. "You have to let them fail and learn but always kind of keeping them on that middle road…it's like bowling but with bumpers on." This video is truly inspirational!
Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw8VRN6sCCA
The clip begins with the 26-year-old FIFA Women's World Cup champion sitting in a locker room and transitions to home videos of Alex as a little girl while her mom, Pamela Morgan, explains how she parented the athlete. According to Pamela, the journey there was not easy: "She tried out and they said 'No, we're not picking up Alex'." Club teams turned down Alex Morgan. Yes, Alex Morgan. It's hard to believe that now, right?
Her daughter failed at the thing she loved the most but while Alex questioned her abilities, her mom never did. She said, "You know what? You have to go and try another team."
Needless to say, it was the right decision. Watching Alex fail was difficult but her mom had the strength to continue nudging her in the right direction and let her find her own way.
I wasn't doing the same. I was so afraid to let my baby fall that my hands were always less than inches away. It wasn't until I forced myself to let him do it on his own that he made the effort to push himself up and sit.
But I know it won't be the last time. This is just the beginning. I will have to stand back, encourage him and let his own effort be the one that pushes him back up whenever he falls in life. After all, "it takes someone strong to make someone strong" so, I know he'll be okay.
