P-u-s-h!

It's a common word heard in delivery rooms everywhere.

P-U-S-H!

It's the act of being born.

P-U-S-H!

It's how to get a child sky-high on a swing.

P-U-S-H!

It's what we mothers do to get our children out the door in the mornings.

P-U-S-H!

Sometimes it's what we do to help our kids try new situations, change behaviors, grow up.

The tricky part is...

how hard do you push?

Because pushing isn't just a brute physical act.

It's an art.

When done correctly, it can challenge a child to reach for new horizons.

When done wrong, it can knock a child flat.

I must confess...

I've done a bit of both.

The secret is to do it in such a way that your child has no idea you're even doing it.

The secret is to let them think they've done all on their own.

Because that way...

the next push won't have to come from you...

it will come from within themselves.