Children are born with great potentials.  Along the way, somehow, barriers seem to spring up.  Some barriers are imposed by the child himself, some are imposed by the outside word and some are unwittingly imposed by ourselves.

Parents have a very important job of helping to prevent barriers to learning and happiness from creeping into their child’s lives. 

• When a child is told there is only one way to do something, we are setting barriers.
• When a child is given all the answers, we set barriers.
• When a child is kept from certain pursuits because of their gender, we are setting barriers.
• When we tell children how to draw, paint, etc. we are limiting their experimentation and therefore their true potential.

Children need to be part of the decision making process when it concerns their life and activities.  Children need to make choices and learn from their mistakes.  Learning to solve problems in life comes only after we have been given opportunities to experience problems and participate in the solution process.

It is the job of the parent to set boundaries – not barriers.