Why Parents Need to Let Their Children Fail

In The Atlantic's Why Parents Need to Let Their Children Fail Jessica Lahey writes about some stuff I've been saying for a long time, though she's far more eloquent:

"The stories these days reveal a whole new level of overprotectiveness: parents who raise their children in a state of helplessness and powerlessness, children destined to an anxious adulthood, lacking the emotional resources they will need to cope..." -

I remember when Eason failed a test at his dojo. I asked him if he had practiced, and he hadn't, and I explained to him that it was good that he failed. Now he knows his tests are not gifts, but something he has to earn.

Here's a video of Jessica Lahey from February 3, 2013 talking about the subject:


Here's another video of Jessica Lahey from February 3, 2013 talking about the subject:


Here's a radio segment including Jessica Lahey on NPR's WBUR from February 7, 2013: