"Why I Want My Kids to Fail..."

From the messy desk of Paul Levine....

Today, I turn Naked Authors over to a guest blogger: the mother of two of my grandchildren, my daughter Wendy Levine Sachs.

Wendy is a frequent contributor to the Living Section of CNN.com.  Today, she writes about -- hold onto your hats -- "Why I Want My Kids to Fail." 

An excerpt:

We are the generation of drone parents hovering above and swaddling our kids in bubble wrap so they don't get hurt when they fall. In fact, we do everything possible to not let them fall. In an uber-competitive age where we exhaust ourselves in the pursuit of perfection for our children, even from the womb, parents have bought into the myth of how to turn out successful people. We are living in a world of tutors, private lessons and specialized coaching, thoroughly believing that with all the right scaffolding, we can guarantee our kids WILL soar.

Ironically, at a time when our parenting culture is all about ensuring success, the innovative business culture of Silicon Valley celebrates failure. New York Magazine recently had a cover story called "The Failure Fetish of Silicon Valley." There are books, blogs and even conferences devoted to embracing the flop.

There's no stigma or shame. In fact, a failed venture is a notch in the belt, an honor of distinction, a bragging right. The founder of a start-up that goes belly up may even be courted to take the helm of another company. They turn failure into a rite of passage among the best and the brightest. Reinvent and move on -- that's the ethos of enterprising entrepreneurs today and perhaps that is a great lesson for parents, too.

 

I am reminded of a quotation from the great UCLA basketball coach and educator John Wooden: "Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts." Wendy's entire CNN column can be found here.

Paul Levine