Before I'm able to even finish my latest sentence of concerned protest, my youngest son has jumped off, yet another, chair and landed abruptly on our hardwood floor. He squeals (because hardwood floors aren't exactly known for breaking falls) and I get up and proceed with my now-routine, tried-and-true consoling method of hugs and kisses and coddles. At this point I'll take a broken spirit over broken bones or child concussions, one of the many struggles every mom with a fearless kid knows all too well.
A fearless kid can turn any seemingly safe place into a jungle gym or an obstacle course or a harbinger of inevitable physical pain that can keep even the most self-assured parent up at night, afraid for their child's well being and, well, afraid of the impending hospital bills. Honestly, my kid shows zero regard for oncoming traffic or gravity or, you know, danger of any kind. Having a fearless kid is stressful, to say the least. Seriously, if being a parent wasn't already difficult enough, adding a fearless kid to that mix of normal anxiety and fear can have dizzying side effects.
Being the parent of a kid with no fear is like being in a constant state of paranoia and, like most things, it's a learning process. I've had to try and quell my fear with my desire for letting my kid feel free and encouraging him to learn. The problem the learning process and my attempt at finding some sort of happy medium, is the undeniable fact that peace of mind takes a substantial hit. Well, that and my sanity. Having been the mother of a fearless child for nearly two years now, I've learned a few of lessons the hard way, and if you too have got a fearless kid on your hands, you understand the following ten struggles of day-to-day parenting all too well.