Permission to fail
- Apr 3
- 1 min read
One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is permission to fail. Failure is not the opposite of success; it is a necessary step towards succeeding. If necessity is the mother of invention, then feeling safe enough to fail is the father of invention.
When children are protected from every mistake, they may succeed in the short term, but they miss the deeper lesson of resilience. Struggling, adjusting and trying again is how original thoughts are formed and innovation happens. When kids fall off the horse, whether in school, sports or friendships, they need practice getting back on. Learning this skill early builds courage for later in life, when the stakes are much higher.
Parents can model this by letting children see them fail, and at these moments, not being afraid to process your self-talk out loud: “Wow, that didn’t work, but I learned something. I’ll try a different way.” Over time, children will begin to see failure not as defeat, but as a series of approximations or gradations on the path toward success.
Brought to you by: Dr. Christopher Schoberl, Head of School
Ashbrook Independent School
4045 SW Research Way Corvallis, OR 97333
541-766-8313
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