I took my kiddo to a climbing gym last week. He’d never been before and yet he was fearless when it came to climbing up the wall. On one particular route, he looked over at me and said, “Mom, I can’t do this.” So, I went over to him and pointed out lots of different holds that he could use to get himself to the top.
“I can’t do it, mom. Help me down.” “Jump,” I said. I was met with another “I can’t” and the start of tears.
There’s a lot to distract a 6 year-old new climber when his buddies are running around playing and climbing, too. Watching them, he wanted off the wall. But he felt stuck. He didn’t have skill or the patience to keep going up and he felt afraid to jump down onto the cushioned base below.
Part of me wanted to grab him off the wall and gently set him down. Part of me wanted to tell him to suck it up and knock off with the tears already. Instead, I said, “You got this, kiddo. I know you can make it up and I know you can jump off. Which one feels like it would be more fun right now?”
You can see which one he chose. What you can’t see in the picture is the look of relief on his face when he stopped feeling afraid and thought about fun.
What choices are in front of you right now? Are you feeling stuck in the ‘in-between’ place? Are you worried you don’t have what it takes? Are you afraid to take a leap of faith? Consider what it might be like if you took a deep breath and connected to your sense of play and fun instead of staying rooted in fear.
I ask you…what feels like more fun right now?
