I was thinking the other day about challenges. It seems to me the only way to develop into a mature and fulfilled person is to go through all the stages and phases that life throws at us. It's just not possible to entirely skip a step - certainly not the important ones - without coming out the other side lacking the ability to cope with whatever it was you avoided. Knowing this, children must be raised in a way that they're not scared of meeting challenges, because then they will learn that with steady practice and focussed will, they are sure to be successful at whatever they do. And the most rewarding success is the ability to be productive and happy regardless of the situation. When we shield our children or ourselves from all of life's troubles, we end up with people who cannot cope with the unexpected nature of life.
