I chanced upon this great video by Gever Tulley called “The Five Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do.” Check it out - it’s definitely made a difference in the way I look at my child and his capabilities.

According to Tulley, who runs a workshop program for kids, we are in danger of raising a generation of over protected children who aren’t allowed to experiment, or explore, for fear of getting hurt.

He puts his suggestions across matter of factly – let them handle a knife, or cut things. Sit your child on your lap and go for a drive – let him handle the wheel, he says. The point he makes is that we limit our children’s experiences when we keep saying “Don’t touch that! You’ll get hurt!”

I know none of us wants to raise an over protected child, who grows up and faints at the sight of blood. Some of his suggestions may freak you out, but I think he makes some great points.

Watch it for yourself and decide how many of these you can incorporate into your parenting style. I hope you can pick up a few things from this that you can use with your kids.

Of course, it depends on your judgment, and how comfortable you feel with your child being exposed to it. For instance, I might find it hard to leave my 7 year old alone with a Swiss army knife. Maybe a year from today…

But I love the deconstructing things idea, as well as the driving. This is something I hadn’t explored, and it’s definitely got me thinking about the possibilities. My son, for instance has a natural talent for smashing just about everything he can lay his hands on, and this is a good way to channel some of that natural inquisitiveness into new areas!

If you’d like to help your child undo things and take them apart, check out garage sales in your neighborhood for old clocks, cameras or cell phones.

If you have appliances in your house that are past their prime, get together with your preschooler, and take them apart. I love what Gever says in the video – “Even if you don’t know what a particular part does, that doesn’t stop you from trying to figure out what it can do. “I can’t even begin to imagine how useful something like this could be in terms of letting them explore possibilities and possible solutions and uses. (I have a washing machine that’s seen better days, and was planning on getting rid of it. There’s a “tear apart” project taking shape in my mind already).

Like he says, it gives them a feeling that everything is understandable.

If you have a DIY project going on at home or garden, let your preschooler help with some aspects of it. She can help with digging, even tearing down a wall, under supervision of course. Exploring is terrific for kids, and when they are going to try new things anyway? When they are forty, and have a mortgage to worry about?

If you’ve been guilty of being over protective with your child, (and I know I’ve been), I hope this video can give you at least a couple of ideas to expose your child to “danger.” Let me know how it goes.

If you know someone who’s always hovering over her kids, maybe you can share this with her, too!

Have fun!