Breaking Rules for Learning

Some days ago I was vacuuming.  Rachel (2 yrs. old) wanted to help.  Sometimes in the past I have told her “no” for a variety of reasons (I don’t want to supervise, I don’t want her to break things, she isn’t capable, it’s not her role, it’s against the rules of the house, etc.).  But I let her do it.  And she loved it.  I realized that kids just want to try things, to learn for themselves, to see if they are capable.  They don’t want to be told “no.”  And the kids aren’t really worried about failure.  Yet, as adults this need to try things out for ourselves, to experiment, to learn without stifling rules and boundaries doesn’t change.  Yet we are consistently told “no” from everywhere and from everyone—ourselves, our friends and family, the structure of our jobs or society, etc.  This culture of “no” is so pervasive that we allow our potential and capabilities to be minimized for fear of failure, fear of breaking expectations, fear of doing what we “aren’t supposed to do.”  We should just let more people try things out!  Life is about learning.  You cannot learn if you do not try.