‘Jumping in puddles.’
‘Dancing in the rain.’
When I hear these phrases it reminds me of my early childhood and the carefree attitude that accompanied it; it makes me nostalgic to think of times when it was completely okay to make messes and mistakes in the name of discovering the world and learning. Do you remember when we lost that privilege? Do you remember how it felt?
Why do we teach our children to be afraid of making mistakes when we know it’s normal, healthy, and inevitable? Why do we teach them that they are walking time bombs just waiting to explode? No matter how responsible or mature they are, they will make mistakes. Heck, even fully grown adults make mistakes! True, some people will make bigger mistakes than others, but there’s rarely a mistake that cannot be fixed or made better. Instead of instilling this fear in them, why don’t we tell them how to deal with the aftermath of something that is a normal occurrence? Why don’t we say:
“You will make mistakes, and that’s okay. Here’s how to deal with it.”
‘Dancing in the rain’ and ‘jumping in puddles’ are not about the acts themselves but about the carefree nature and message they display. They tell you it’s okay to get messy sometimes, you don’t have to be perfect, and to make the best of a less-than-perfect situation.
That being said, my point is: don’t fear your mistakes. They’re gonna happen and when they do, it’s not the end of the world, you are strong and brave, and I know you can do this.
Just hold on.