Taking Risks

I must admit, when the preschoolers discovered that they could climb the small tree in the yard this morning, my initial thought was to stop them. My worrying brain said,
One of them might get poked with a branch. One of them might fall and get hurt. They might hurt the tree. They are going to fight over it and I will have to break up the fights and help them take turns. If I let them climb it once they are going to want to do it again and again. Every time we are in the yard they are going to try and climb that tree and I am going to have to help them work out the problems that arise surrounding it.

I watched them as I decided what to do next. Many of them were climbing pretty high (high by 2 and 3 year old standards). They weren't scared and they were proud of themselves when they climbed high enough to sit in the little v-shaped branches near the middle of the little tree.
Jena, look at me! Look how high I am! I climbed up here.

I watched as they coached each other on the best way to climb to the top and the easiest way to get back down.
Just put your feet on this one and then grab on right here. It's okay if you're scared. I will help you.

They cheered each other on.
Look at Nolan in the tree! He's hiding in there like a monkey!

I did have to help them take turns climbing the tree. I did have to help them find the right words to use to ask their friends for a turn. I did have to help some of them get down when they climbed too high. And realistically, one of them is eventually bound to fall and get hurt or get poked with a branch.
That is what childhood is all about, isn't it? They are taking risks. They are learning what their bodies are capable of. They are learning to work out their problems. They feel pride in their accomplishments when they are successful. They learn from their mistakes. In the process, as always, I am learning to let go and that's what adulthood is all about, isn't it?