Kubla is learning to ice-skate. He hobbles back from the first class with bruised knees.

I give him a little hug. “What happened? Did you have fun?”
“Yeah, but I fell.”
“How many times?”
“Three.”
“Just three times? Try to fall at least four times next time.”

He looks at me like I hit my head on the ice.

“Yeah, at least four times. Five if you can. If you aren’t falling, you aren’t trying hard enough, and you’ll never learn to skate. Do you want to learn to skate?”

I pick him up the next Lesson. “Dad, I fell 5 times!”

Postscript.

A couple months later we send him skating with kneepads. I’m glad for the lesson about taking risks, but he can learn just as well without the bruises.

What do you do to encourage the kids you love to move outside their comfort zone?

In two weeks I’ll give a free Kidorable Umbrella to whoever makes my favorite comment and shares this post on the platform of their choice.