Let your kids rock!

As parents, we spend a lot of time loving, guiding, redirecting and reinforcing.  But we don’t always recognize the importance of empowering.

Small acts of empowerment can easily become a part of our parenting routine. Asking a child to choose his or her own outfit, chore, or restaurant meal, can take more time, with unknown results, but each experience gives children just a little more confidence about making their own choices in the future.

I’ve journaled my eleven-year-old daughter’s social entrepreneur project over the past year.  She’s organized a book club for the neighborhood children, and I think her strength in initiating it is partly the result of the seemingly insignificant acts of empowerment she’s experienced along the way.

So although it may not feel comfortable to allow a two-year-old birthday girl to choose her own color frosting, or a four-year-old to pick out his own outfit for preschool, consider what’s the worst that could happen?

Letting go of the reins – give it a try!