We’re in the thick of back-to-school season at my house, and let me tell you, it’s not just my 8-year-old learning new things. His mom and I are too.
Third grade brings a whole new level of chaos. There are rough mornings where everything feels off before we even leave the driveway. There are moments of friend drama, big emotions, and situations we can’t control.
And that’s hard, because as parents, everything in us wants to step in and fix it.
Cassie and I have caught ourselves hovering a little too close at times, wanting to smooth the path in front of him. But we’ve also had moments where we didn’t step in at all... and looking back, maybe we should’ve. That’s the tension of parenting: figuring out when to step in, and when to step back.
One moment that sticks with me was when he came home clearly upset. He said something happened at school, but didn’t want to talk about it. We gently asked questions. We gave him space. Eventually, later that night, we found out he had been picked on by a couple of much older kids.
At first, I got angry and protective, ready to fix the situation myself. But I realized I was trying to solve something I should’ve been helping him work through. I can’t force other kids to be kind. But I can teach him how to handle hurt, and how to bounce back.
There’s a fine line between protecting your kids and preparing your kids.
We don’t want to raise a child who never feels pain. We want to raise a young man who knows how to face it, learn from it, and move forward stronger than before. That only happens if we let him struggle sometimes — not abandoned, but not bubble-wrapped either.
So here’s what we’re reminding ourselves right now:
We’re not just raising a kid.
We’re raising a future adult.
And confidence doesn’t come from always being rescued. It comes from getting through something hard and realizing you could handle more than you thought.
If you're a parent (or if you lead young people in any way), maybe this is a good season to ask yourself:
Where do I need to step in with love, and where do I need to step back with trust?
The balance is hard. But the growth, for them and for us, is worth it.
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Rusty Thompson is the Founder of The Master’s Lawn & Pest. He’s passionate about faith, family, leadership, and helping people grow — both in the landscape and in life.