The other night my husband was out of town and I was reading in my room when Alex walked in crying and holding her little pink baby.  For those of you who don't know us, Alex has had this baby since she was born.  She doesn't go anywhere without it and will attest to losing sleep if it happens to fall on the floor and she is unable to find it in the middle of the night.  This baby has been so well loved that it is barely three dimesional anymore.  It is almost a rag!
So, the other night my almost 16 year old is standing there with her baby and crying about whether she chose the right classes for her junior year of high school, whether she will get into a good college and basically feeling insecure about her decisions.  Are you still with me?  Do you see the irony that my practically grown daughter, who will be going off to college soon, is standing before me with her BABY?  I almost laughed at the scene unfolding before me.  I stopped myself because I realized in that moment that my daughter was afraid.  She was afraid of failing, of making the wrong choice and what we, her parents, might think if she made the wrong choice.   I told her that she made the absolute right choice about her classes, I told her that we were very proud of her, that she was a great student, a fabulous daughter and she was going to be great at whatever she chooses to do in life.  I consoled her until she could go back to bed with her baby and rest at ease.
     This is what I really should have told her:  Life is full of choices.  Life can be hard and full of uncertainty.  Sometimes we are so afraid of failing or making a mistake that we are unable to move.  We become stagnant and we begin failing to even show up.  Don't become so fearful that you are a prisoner in your own life, chained in one place by your fears and anxieties.  Ask questions, seek advice, research your ideas, get support, but at least dip your foot in the water and see if you are on the right track.  At times you may jump right in and find out later that you made a mistake.  That's okay.  That is how we learn, by making mistakes and getting back up and trying again.  Be more curious than cautious and you may find out that while life can be uncertain and hard it can also be exhilarating and very rewarding. 
So, get your pink baby, pull on your big girl pants and start living!