On Sunday, after posting the most depressing thing I've ever written, we went to my nephew's birthday party at a small children's amusement park 45 minutes from where we live. And Michael really wanted to do the ropes course. It was high up and you had to be strapped in and there was no way in hell I would ever do that. But Doug went with him, and even though the child looked terrified, he wanted to do it.
He got halfway up and then decided he couldn't do it.
Because 6 and 1/2 sometimes may seem like a really big kid, sometimes it still is really, really little.
The guy who worked there helped him get across.
But then, when it was time to go back, there was no guy, and Michael had to do it by himself. And he cried. But eventually, he did it anyway.
I always tell him, it is ok to be scared, but you have to do it anyway.
I'm trying to tell myself that right now too.
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Thank you for this post. I’m going through some pretty difficult things here, and your “I’m not Ok” post and this one really hit home.
Thanks again.
I always tell my girls that being brave isn’t about not being scared, it’s about doing what you have to do anyway. Sometimes I need someone to tell me too. I’m thinking about you. I haven’t had anything to say that doesn’t sound stupid, but I am thinking about you and hoping that you all find your feet soon.
My 5yr old (then 4yr old) jumped off a cliff into water last February in Cozumel. We have a picture of him mid-air and I like to look at it when I’m afraid. He helps me be brave. Thinking of you.
I’ve been thinking of you a lot lately.
And I love this post.
Your boy is brave–and he learned that from you and your husband. Hang in there, Jodi. ((Hugs))
Sage advice for all of us. You’re both very, very brave.
It’s amazing what we can learn from our kids when we are teaching them.
We can learn a lot from Michael.
It’s okay to cry too. As long as you keep going the next day. Hugs friend. I hope things improve very soon.
If you fear it you must do it. The only way to get over it is to go through it.
I used to be a waterski instructor at a summer camp, and also worked the ropes course. Some of the biggest breakthroughs in confidence happened in those two venues. It is amazing how confident you become when you succeed in being pulled across the surface of the water at 35 mph holding on to a rope and balancing on thin pieces of wood and fiberglass… it is equally boosting to make it across thin ropes suspended between trees. I am glad that you see the beauty in this, and recognize it. Michael… the force is strong with that one. Keep watching, and keep praying.