RISK taking is a natural part of our everyday lives. Many risks we probably don’t even think of as risky: pouring our tea, driving our car or crossing the road. We are so used to these things going right that we no longer associate them with danger.
Other risks we take on after careful consideration of the dangers versus benefits. These might include such things as a new job, parenthood or embarking on thrill seeking adventures like bungee jumping.
It is important for us to be able to weigh up all the risk factors to make good decisions and keep ourselves safe in our daily lives. Often this can be done without too much consideration, if any at all, as we have the benefit of past experiences telling us the likely outcome.
At one point, though, nearly everything we have done in our lives was a new experience and one that came with an element of risk.
Pushing ourselves outside our comfort zone is often daunting but our ability to do this with a degree of confidence largely stems from our childhood experiences. It often goes hand in hand with how many risks we have been exposed to, how we handled them, the outcome and how the whole experience made us feel.
That feeling of accomplishment is what makes many of us strive to achieve more and more in life. It makes us jump at the opportunity to take on projects and roles that we might have otherwise shied away from lest we fail. The emotion of pride, stemming from  achievement made with an element of risk, is a powerful one that children need to be exposed to.
It is for this reason that parents need to give theirchildren a certain degree of freedom in their explorations. Weigh up the risk to benefit ratio for them, consider the worst that could happen and the likelihood and then let them go for it.
Watching them take risks and test their limits certainly gives parents plenty of heart in moments but these moments are always over-shadowed by the feelings of pride and joy felt as we see children’s confidence blossoming and growing before our very own eyes.
These risk-taking opportunities help them to learn more about themselves, their capabilities and competences. They learn what it feels like to
push themselves outside their comfort zones and what it feels like to overcome fears and achieve.
They have their own in-built sense of safety that prevents them rushing through heavy traffic without due care. There is no need for us to tell them to be careful. They are well-aware of the risks and they are learning to understand their limitations as their risk-taking experiences increase.
Accidents happen. All parents have had their fair share of bumps, bruises and scrapes and these are all part of the risk-to-benefit equation. They help children make decisions about how far they can push themselves safely.
It is said, the only way to learn about asphalt or concrete is to fall on it. And this is true. When Zesco load shedding was at its peak when my son was two, he was fascinated by fire.
No sooner did you tell him to stay away than he would gravitate back to a flickering candle. Well, one day he decided to test the flame on his finger and was scorched. It was painful, yes, risky too. He shed a few tears but he learnt the lesson that his young, inquisitive mind needed to learn. Fire was not a toy and could harm him.
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