Ahhh the helicopter parents strike again!!!

I'm trained in early childhood development and in the course we discussed the difference between risk and danger. Most things kids do involve risk - as you say, that's how they learn to make judgments and to control their bodies. As a teacher it's a tricky line to tread, but as a parent I think you're spot on.

In this world there are many people who can't be convinced of their own self-worth until they have convinced themselves they are better than you.  Fuck them.

I would've done just as you did.  I totally know what you are saying about the screamy indignant parents.  We all know some of those.  The ones at the playground who hover and freak about the tiniest "mishap."  The parents who intervene at any hint of a conflict over the teeter totter... Argh.  Kids learn by taking "safe" risks.  We help guide them by not allowing certain risks (i.e. running out into the street or jumping off the dock when they can't swim.)  To me, if the worst thing that could happen involves a scrape, maybe even a little blood, or a bruise, then it's a learning opportunity.

I think I might be a little overprotective sometimes, but my kids are only 18 months old.

From the photos of your daughter falling - it just doesn't look that bad. It's not like you photographed her falling from a great height.

My husband and I have developed a philosophy on this:  let them get hurt, but not injured.  A fall from a curb - fine, fall from a second story window - not so fine.

I'm the only one at the playground who doesn't hover, and also the only one with a kid who isn't constantly falling off stuff. Coincidence?

And if any of those helicopter parents think they could move fast enough to stop a 2-year-old from tripping? They must have superpowers that I don't.

Wow, I'm amazed that people actually wrote to you about your kid tripping on a curb. Where do they find the time while simultaneously saving all small people in the vicinity from any scrapes or bruises??

I'm with you and the other commenters... as long as your kid isn't going to seriously hurt themselves, let them learn for themselves. Plus I hate being a nag - I'll tell my kid a couple of times that something he's doing might hurt, but if he keeps doing it and does get hurt, it's a way better lesson about what is and isn't a good idea.

My son was adopted at 2 and was severely delayed. If I had hovered over him he would have never been able to develop and try to catch up. I let him fall, pick himself back up, and fall again. Isn't that how kids learn to walk in the first place?

My mother asks me why I don't hover over him at the playground and monitor him more closely. Because he has to learn cause and effect. Me telling him is not going help him.

I especially agree with chyna823 - how the hell do you have time to keep your kid from falling. I'm thinking that if you took the picture that early in the fall, you were already about to take a picture and the fall occured, not the fall occured and you decided to take a picture.

I might have winced at the picture and wondered to myself about someone helping your daughter, but had enough sense not to bother to post about it. Jeez, people - so judgmental.

Hurt but not injured is a pretty good philosophy, Alex. Well said.

you are a better person than me at least--I giggled when I saw the picture!  I am sooo evil.  I try not to actually laugh in front of my child when she falls, but damn.  

As the above people say, it's not like the kiddos are getting seriously hurt.  Kids fall when they are learning to walk/run/move around.  Heck, I still fall over and I'm over thirty.  And people laugh at me all the time.  

looks as though she was well padded.  What more do they want

Samantha...sometimes it actually helps to laugh when they fall--if they laugh with you, they're not hurt too bad, right?  If you freak out and grab them and cry, "oh, no, Baby, are you okay?"  They freak out and start bawling and think every fall is a big tragedy!  Keep laughing!

Mike...that's a great picture--she's so cute!

Read "The Blessings of a Skinned Knee".  Same philosophy.  We can't bubble wrap our kids through childhood and expect them to grow up to be adults with reasonable expectations regarding risk and danger.

One of my favorite books -- nice choice.

I second the "Blessings of a Skinned Knee" recommendation.  Its a great book.  

This all reminds me of my husband's credo "pain is a good teacher" -- I don't mean to sound awful, we would never stand by and watch our son do something that would cause serious damage.  But he has to be able to be a kid and try things out for himself.