How to nurture a fearless toddler.

“You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.” – Tina Fey

No, I am not crazy, my fourteen month old has yet to go down a waterslide. But, a few weeks ago my husband came back to the park with the news that our young toddler threw himself down the slide. But, how? I questioned him. He just learned how to walk a few months ago (4), how does he even know he’s supposed to go down the chute? I had to see it with my own eyes. The next day we both took him to the park. And yes, I witnessed my fourteen month old let himself go from my husband and come down the chute where I was waiting to greet him. He didn’t look scared or worried. He just knew he had to let go and that hopefully he would be safe upon landing.

I may or may not have shed a tear here and there that day on our walk home from the park. However, the more I thought about it, the less I felt worried and the more I felt an immense sense of pride in my son. I cannot tell you how many times in my twenty something years of life I have been the kid who won’t go down the chute. Many times I felt scared about applying for certain jobs or voicing my ideas during firm meetings. There were also many times when I kept quiet knowing I had a good idea because I thought others wouldn’t find it interesting.

For all of those times I didn’t go down the chute, however, there were also a handful of times that I decided to take the risk and go down, sometimes even head first. When I decided to take the risk, great things happened. For instance, I applied for my dream law school and was accepted despite what others had suggested. Although I did not end up going to said school due to financial circumstances, I knew that I was good enough for them. Later on I decided to apply for intern with the Public Defenders and I got the position. A few years later I also decided to apply to work for them but as luck would have it I was hired a few weeks before I received their call, with a private firm. Looking back at it now, I didn’t allow my ambition to take over late in my life. Had I done it when I was a child, maybe I would be somewhere else now. Maybe I would be in a different field of law or a completely different field altogether.

The beautiful thing about having a child is that now you have a blank canvas. Although ultimately it is your child the one who will make the long lasting decisions in his or her life, for the younger years you hold the brush that will paint their canvas. With this in mind, I have made the decision to continue nurturing the fearless attitude that Nick has displayed.

Dear child of mine, here at this moment in time I vow to do everything in my power to nurture your fearless side. I will be there every step of the way reminding you not to wait for the “perfect timing,” but to just do it. Because child, the perfect time will never come. Push through the fear, be optimistic, break down an excuses ad forget the anxiety because once you do such things, a beautiful and adventurous life will be waiting for you.

Remember me and these words sweetheart, each and every time you feel that fear is about to start dominating you. Do everything in your power to change things, stand out from the crowd, voice your opinion and I promise you that your regrets in life will be minimal. So when someone tells you “If it aint’t broke, don’t fix it” guess what honey? Break it! When they say “Don’t rock the boat,” rock it!

If you follow these simple steps sweetheart, you will be ready to face life. And don’t worry, you are allowed to be scared. But please just remember, whatever is waiting for you down the chute is a lot less scary than what you are facing at the top of the slide. So, in the end it will be a lot less scary to go down than hold the line up.

What steps have you taken to help your child take the chute instead of holding back? I would love to hear your stories and how it has worked so far. Also, any tips would be greatly appreciated!

P.S. go watch Nick go down the chute here!

XOXO – L.