Sometimes the best preparation is to become less helpful

What if all our helpfulness is telling our children that we don’t think they can cope?I’ve been wondering when helping stops being love and starts depriving a young person of the chance to discover, “I can manage this.” Stepping back can feel like neglect, especially when we can see the forgotten bag, missed bus or awkward mistake coming. But perhaps becoming slightly less useful is part of preparing them, and ourselves, for what comes next.Thank you for pausing with me. Take care. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kimmccabe.substack.com/subscribe