For as long as I can remember, our littlest has been our wild cat. Before she was walking she was climbing, and as soon as she was climbing she was jumping off of everything. Tables. Couches. Beds. How she managed only one E.R. visit in her 6 years is beyond me. A miracle!
The girl has no fear. She has never had any fear. When she was really tiny, it caused me so much panic. It took all my energy to keep her from running in front of cars, scaling furniture, and flying off the balcony. But eventually she began to learn her limitations, and a little bit of caution was birthed in her.
As tiring as it can be to have my little risk taking adventure girl.
I LOVE her.
She is fun, crazy, and super spontaneous. She loves, lives, and breathes life in. She is such a joy to be around, and her zest for life is contagious.
That being said, if you are raising your own little adventure, here are some things I have learned along the way.
1. Only say, “Be careful,” when it’s really necessary. I’ve learned to calculate the risks. Climbing a tree? Ok. Jumping into the deep end? Ok. Standing on the swing? Ok. Jumping off the 20-foot monkey bars? “NOT OK. BE CAREFUL!”
2. A child that likes to takes risks really needs to be educated on what those risks are. For example, jumping in front of a car could kill you or falling out of a tree could really hurt. Knowledge helps curb those impulses a bit.
3. Provide opportunities for safe thrills. Water parks and amusement parks are great places for her to feel free and edgy. When she gets a little older we hope to add in some rock climbing and horseback riding in the mix.
4. Embrace who your little adventurer is. As much as I want to reel her back in to where I know she won’t get hurt, I know that she is her happiest when she is taking risks and being her wild, crazy self.
5. Learn to breathe. On many occasions, I have had to learn to let go of the little things. Sometimes I have had to bite my lip as she wanted to show me how she could scale the playground or do a flip off of the monkey bars. The joy on her face afterwards is worth it though.
6. When she falls, I have had to encourage her to get back up and try again. I never want to crush her free-spirited self, so I come ready with hugs, kisses, and encouragement to send her on her way again!
I know that my little adventurer is going to try so many things in life and go see so many places! I love that she is a risk taker and really seizes every moment and opportunity given to her!
Do you have a wild child? What are some of your tricks and tips?
1 comment
Nice set of tips!
I like the advice to say “be careful” sparingly. When my kids attempt something I really don’t want them to do because it seems too dangerous I’ve taken to saying “I’m not comfortable with that.” Rather than “get down, you can’t do that, you’ll get hurt.” Yes, 4 year old, you are physically capable of climbing atop the fridge, and maybe you feel perfectly fine up there and maybe you’re not actually going to fall. I’m just not comfortable with the risk. This clarifies that it’s my issue of feeling concerned for their safety. They will stop out of respect for my concern even if they don’t share the same worry. I don’t have to try to convince them they’ll get hurt, telling them not to trust their own assessment of their abilities.