It's a sad fact - gone are the days when you could let your 8 year old go a few blocks away to play baseball with his or her friends and not have to worry about anything but a possible scraped knee or lost ball. These days, there's toxic lead in old paint, there's microbes in the water, there are theives in the shadows, and any number of crazies walking the streets.

I find it hard anymore to even let my pre-teen nieces and nephes outside alone without perching myself on the porch to make sure they don't encounter something harmful.

The beauty of childhood is its innocence - the curiosity and awe at the unknown. As adults, we have the experience to know that there may be danger lurking in every corner, and unfortunately, we have to sheild our children from things that even 20 years ago weren't even a fleeting thought in the minds of parents. I remember sneaking out at the age of 3 and being picked up by a sweet old lady, being taken to her home and fed cookies and milk until she and her husband could figure out where I lived, then being escorted home. I have to wonder, if it were my child that snuck out, would we be so lucky?

I've come to the harsh conclusion that no matter the amount of worry or stress, children are children, and must be allowed to explore their world sometimes without an overprotective parent interfering at every step. If you throw a cushion at them every time they fall, they'll never learn how to pick themselves up and try again. If you scold them for every tree they climb fearing that they'll get hurt, you'll only make them afraid of every obstacle they come to throughout their lives.

I'm a parent, and a former teacher, and I offer this single piece of advice to any parent - take a step back.

Don't remove yourself from the experience, but don't jump in every time you think your child might get hurt. Remember when you were a child - what did you learn when you burned your fingers on the stove or scraped your knee falling off your bike? You healed, as will your child, but you grew as well; you learned what you were capable of and what was harmful, and you learned that you were stronger than you thought.

Be there to guide your children, to tell them the what's and why's, but when it comes to the experiences, let them live them.

Learn more about this author, Sandra Seigle.
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