Wings

Good support helps grow wings and wings mean independence, adventure, perspective.  

 I don't have any flying videos but one of the next best things to flying is a flying fox  / zipline and those I have.  A flying fox, especially one with a puddle is about speed and unpredictability, fearlessness and adventure,  My son was not quite four. I am amazed how calm he is but then I suppose he felt safe. 

Years later we found a swing in some nearby beech woods. The swing itself was well built, if basic.  It was just a solid stick well tied to a long rope.  You launched from the top of a steep bank and sailed over the void.  It was so much fun. 

But eventually something went wrong and my son fell from quite a height, landing on his back in patch of nettles. But that is what happens with adventure and exploration.  You take risks, sometimes you have great times and sometimes it goes wrong.  You learn whether the joy is worth the danger and how to better manage risk.

So, nowadays, sometimes people think, 'Well, I'd better get professional advice'.  But professionals can sometimes make things worse than if you'd tried on your own.

And sometimes if you just keep showing up and practising, amazing things happen, even at an advanced age [swing man and handstand lady] 

A parent's job seems complicated but really it is just to love.  Luckily, for the most part, that comes inbuilt with parenthood though it is hardly risk-free. Smother the child with love and they will feel insecure in the world. Love them insufficiently or make them feel inadequate and they will develop strategies to cope with neglect or poor self esteem. They need confidence for exploration and independence.