Independence Runway Protocol: Gradual Delegation of Critical Decisions
The summer my daughter Chloe turned fifteen, I realized we were heading toward a cliff. She was an excellent student and a responsible kid, but I was still managing her life as if she were ten. I woke her up in the morning, scheduled her doctor appointments, budgeted her extracurricular fees, and resolved her minor conflicts with teachers. When I asked her what she wanted to do about choosing a summer program, she looked at me blankly and said, "Whatever you think is best, Mom." It was a wake-up call. I was protecting her from the cognitive load of decision-making, which meant she was heading toward college and adulthood without ever having managed her own life. She was on a runway with no flight training. ...