Happiness in this World

I'm a little further along in the process. My son is now in 7th grade. Reading this, I thought - yes, I let him get himself dressed and brush his teeth when he was old enough - I do this. But i also thought about yesterday when I worked with him for 4 hours on a project that should have been done in little bits for the last 2 weeks instead of being crammed all into the day before it was due. Without me sitting and helping him it wouldn't have gotten done. I was trying to spare him the pain of not having anything to turn in today, but I'm also harming him by not letting him learn that lesson of not waiting until the last minute. Hard choices!

And I am learning him as well as he is learning himself and his limitations. I let him brush his teeth but I sit and watch him and have "my turn" at brushing his teeth while guiding his little hand with mine. This morning I didn't get him dressed because he is capable..it's hard because when I do it, it's faster.
After my son was born, I sat in my room and wept while nursing him because I never want him to feel pain or get hurt. I think this is a feeling every parent has and it's programmed in us as an instinct. The hardest part of parenting is learning when to let go in certain situations so the child will learn what not to do and suffer the consequence of possibly getting hurt.

I overcompensated since my son was born because his father wouldn't pay attention to him, because I feared it would hurt him, but now he is a product of that overcompensation but I still wouldn't change anything I have done, I never regret, just learn and move on :)