Facing the Fear of Falling…and Soaring

I’m terrified of heights and my daughter follows in my cautious footsteps. We were recently faced with a situation that required us to either confront our fears or take the easy way out:

Ever since Genevieve was born, I dreamed of taking her to a mommy and me yoga class. Now that I am finally settled in the career I want –working from home with a flexible schedule– I had the time to make it happen. All I needed was a location and as fate would have it, a class began at a studio right next door to my old job!

All seemed perfect as we opened the door to enter the studio on our first day of class.

Until we saw the stairs.

The yoga class was being held in the basement of the building. Down a long steep, dark staircase in a dimly lit hall.

My little girl gripped for her life as she held the railing on the first step and halfway turned back as she told me she didn’t want to go.

Part of me was relieved to hear that because I was scared myself! I couldn’t even hold the railing because I had her hand and two yoga mats under my arm. I was terrified we would both fall and crack our heads.

Then, I pulled myself together and stepped out of my comfort zone to become the strong mom I know I am. I took her hand and we walked together slowly down the stairs.

We did it!

I’m glad I didn’t let my fear stop us from doing something that we love. And by pushing through my fear, I’m teaching my daughter to be courageous. Now, we enjoy weekly yoga classes. We’re still uncomfortable on the stairs, but it’s getting easier each time!

Lesson learned from this post: As a parent, sometimes we have to face our fears to help our children conquer theirs. If we remain strong, we can both benefit from the rewards.