Part of growing up is accepting failure. If you think back to your teen years, they were often full of tasks that we were not sure we could do. Many times while attempting to master skills or take advantage of new experiences, we met with failure. We eventually learned some things, decided against future attempts, or accepted our limited abilities.

Failure can be an inability to cope when things are not as you want them to be. Sometimes we cannot change the cards we're dealt and must play that hand. Failure only happens when a teen cannot adjust, accept, or try to do better next time.

Parents would love to save their children from all painful encounters. We wish our kids could learn everything easily and never meet with failure. Unfortunately, accepting failure is part of maturing. Each new thing we tackle holds within it the possibility that we will succeed or not. We cannot go through life without having good and bad relationships, jobs, school grades, and social events. Our children cannot either. They must live through the bad feelings and disappointment.

When parents try to shield kids from the hurtful things in the world, they often do them a disservice since the teen never grows up. Kids believe the world owes them only good stuff and they are unable to cope with any problems. If things do not meet their standards, they believe they deserve much better and will not accept the situation. They are so easily discouraged by defeat that they will not even try again.

A good parent will encourage, empathize, and support. They will also allow their children to work our most problems. The parent who does everything for a child to ensure success will keep them from learning how to get along with a sometimes- hostile world. Do what is best for the child and let them experience life in its entirety. Success will be that much sweeter when it arrives.

Credits: Jo Ann Wentzel