Letting Go..Just a Little.

From the very moment our kids are born we try our hardest to protect them from everything. We vaccinate and use the newest safest car seats and strollers. As they get older we protect them from kids on the playground who throw sand or steal their cracker. We run to their defense when they struggle with the transition to kindergarten. We make them wear helmets and knee pads when they ride their bikes and roller skate. They follow along like good little soldiers for a while until one day they want to ride to the library with a friend or they want to stay home for the 20 minutes it takes to run to the store instead of coming with you. How do I make sure that I have done my job to teach safety and independence? I want to trust that the time has come for me to stop hovering over every aspect and detail and let go a little more. I want to be a fly on the wall and see how they deal with situations on their own but since that isn't likely to happen I just have to bite my lip and grit my teeth and trust that my little sponges have absorbed all my lessons on stranger danger and first aid. I know the world is a different place then it was 20+ years ago when I was 10 but I don't want my girls to be jaded and afraid to experience the milestones of growing up that are so crucial in the long road to adult hood.