3-2-1 JUMP! I'll Never Bungy Again ... blog by Shelley Carppe

My toes are curled around the edge of a cantilevered platform, 47m above the Waikato River. Around my ankles, a rubber band is tied. The staff are gently encouraging me to jump - they tell me they've had no major incidents, and never lost a client .. yet. 

Bungy jumping is a bucket list item, something I've always wanted to do - until that very moment. I want to back out. Any sane person would.

And then I glance over at the opposite bank. There stand my husband, and my three children. One of my girls is boisterous and adventurous, and will give anything a go. She's cheering me on. One is quiet yet strong - she will try things if she wants to, on her own terms. She's quietly watching. And one is a curious mix of both, a free spirit with a will to try new things, but with a cautious side that, combined with a fear of heights, means she is excited but very nervous; dreading the moment Mum takes the leap, but willing me on none the less.

These three, standing on the top of the opposite cliff watching, propel me to jump. To "Feel The Fear, And Do It Anyway". 

I don't enjoy the jump. The actual fall, I don't remember at all. Apparently I yelled. I would dispute that, however there is video evidence. The best moment for me was being lowered into the boat at the end, after precariously bouncing around on the bottom of the rubber band for what felt like far too long. I'll never, ever do that again. But I did it. Once. Once was enough to, hopefully, inspire my children that they can do anything they put their minds to. That fear comes, and can be eyeballed, and beaten. That they can Forget Everything And Run, or Face Everything And Rise.

I hope that it taught them to live life fully. I hope it inspired them to chase down their dreams, to grasp opportunities in both hands, to not let fear hold them back. I hope they are proud of their Mum, for getting out of her own comfort zone, for recognising the danger, weighing the risks, considering them carefully, and taking her own leap of faith. I hope one day when an opportunity presents itself, when they are doing their own calculations, they remember this day, and it encourages them. I hope it helps them to live better lives.

There are many times, in our parenting journey's, that we are presented with opportunities to teach our children life lessons. Some are small, like doing a favour for someone, or using our manners, and some are big, like jumping off a 47m high platform attached to a rubber band. But every one is important - every one helps to shape your child, every one creates a memory, a base from which they will create their own dialogue, which will influence their future decisions and mould their lives. 

What life lesson can you teach your child today, that will make them a better person; stronger, or kinder, more empathetic, or braver, more resilient or more compassionate?