When children are allowed to fail in a non-catastrophic way they learn that it's not the end of the world, and that it's a stepping-stone to success. They get the message that hard work can pay off, that they can persevere through difficulties. I don't think we need to go out and invent adversity for our kids. What we need to do more than anything is to give them the message that failing is okay, that it's part of the process of getting to what we want to accomplish in life.
