Imagine a nest where some of the birds never leave. Sparrows never glide through the sky with other birds. Owls never soar in the evening woods and send calls to one another beneath a winter moon. Eagles never perch with heads held high on the granite peaks of great mountains. 

Like all living beings, when children enter the world, our vision for them is to grow, thrive, and achieve. Rarely does a parent look into the eyes of a new life they have just created and see failure to thrive. But, like birds that never leave the nest, children can get stuck in place in their life where their physical, personal, cognitive, and social growth is stifled, stuck, and at times left for dead. 

When children get stuck in a place of non-thriving, they typically go through a three-step process. First, they recognize others’ sense of disappointment and failure in them. Second, they see their own differences as negative and internalize feelings of failure that come with a loss of hope. Finally, they live it, wearing the cloak of hopelessness that comes from a lack of support, love, and opportunities to build courage and meaningful success stories. 

Many children with physical and/or social and emotional challenges are constantly met with hurdles that stunt their growth, development, and ability to thrive. Various forms of and exposure to trauma from the world around them slowly squeezes them into a box of limitations. If these children do muster courage to take a chance, and others are not there to scaffold, encourage, and support them, they go back to their nest. They remain isolated as the world passes them by.

Getting a child out of the nest when they do not feel they are ready is no easy task. As parents, care givers, and teachers, we must recognize that it is sometimes our own fears that can keep these children from attempting flight. We fear the potential bruising fall rather than embrace the potential beautiful flight. We also know that all flights will not be a successful launch and soar. They may be more of a dip and surge and, in some cases, even a scary crash. We have to remember, though, success should not always be measured in terms of how long or great the flight it is, but rather in the courage and grit shown to take that first leap off, or to get up and jump again after hitting the ground. 

If some of these children are fortunate enough to receive love, attention, and support from others who believe in them, they can, in turn, become our true heroes. As a longtime teacher of students who face adversity on a daily basis, I have been blessed. I have shared the fear and joy of watching many children step off the edge to attempt flight. For some, it is simply approaching another child and asking to have lunch or play a game for the first time. For others, it is independently stepping up to a cashier to make a transaction for juice. For those with physical disabilities, it is attempting to scale a flight of stairs. Seeing my students bravely leaving comfort for more autonomous and courageous experiences is one of the greatest joys of my over 20 years of teaching. Watching as they spread their wings and venture out into the world is my inspiration.

The greatest gift we can give these children is the support, encouragement, and love they need to gain the confidence to step out of that nest. We need to be there to provide comfort if they fall, and to share the joy with them when they succeed. By spreading their wings and stepping out into the world, they teach all of us just how beautiful that leap into the great unknown can be.