It’s hard to be a good parent.
Isn’t it?
Am I being overbearing? Or giving them too many choices? Was that last consequence appropriate for the action? Am I teaching them life skills at the appropriate rate? Too soon? Or, too late?
If you are in doubt, ask a friend, and read a book – that’s what I do.
You just do your best.
Your best is, after all, all you can do.
I’m unclear about the fine line between good parenting and being overly protective. I get stumped by the easy test questions—like whether I should let Sam ride his two-wheeler for several blocks without me when I secretly want to run alongside him like a golden retriever. He wants to walk to a friend’s house; I want him to stay inside and draw while I sit on the front porch with a shotgun across my lap like Granny Clampett.
-Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies
