Mistakes are part of life. Yet when I make one, I beat myself up. I tell myself over and over how stupid, clumsy, or thoughtless l was. But it was simply a mistake with words or actions. Why can’t I just let it go?
My 2-year-old granddaughter falls down a lot. She just gets back up and says, “Baby went boom.” Once back on her feet she is off without another thought to her mistake. No judgement, no anger, just I fell.
When does that change? When do the adults in her life start to tell her to be more careful, to not run, to watch her step? Does someone call her clumsy?
Mistakes are a part of life. Yet, as adults we truly expect we have control over even our mistakes. Of course, I want to learn from my mistakes just as my granddaughter is learning that she needs to pick up her feet every time she steps. (She is learning this without any words from adults!) When I make a mistake, I learn from it and correct my actions for the future. But I truly wish I could then just let it go, without the personal name calling. Wouldn’t it be nice, if my granddaughter didn’t have the personal name calling in her life?