I adored nail art in my younger days. For years, it was my little joy. Eventually, I outgrew it. These days, I don’t even grow my nails, let alone paint them. That’s how life goes—we outgrow hobbies, routines, and pastimes that once lit us up.
Now, I have plenty of reasons against it: chemicals, yellowing nails, chipped polish, even health concerns. And when my daughter shows interest, I’m quick to share those reasons. They’re valid. They’re mine. But here’s the catch—those arguments risk becoming a wall that blocks her from a hobby she might come to love, just as I once did.
The truth is simple: I chose, I tried, I enjoyed, and I outgrew. That was my cycle. Everyone deserves their own.
Too often, as parents, we sabotage our children’s freedom to explore because of the convictions we hold today. We forget that they deserve the experience first—before deciding, whether soon or years later, what they’ll outgrow and what they’ll keep.
Let the kids try. Let them taste, fail, fall in love, move on. Their choices aren’t tickets we hold; they belong to them. Yes, our wisdom matters, but only when it’s truly needed.
Because the right to choose, to explore, to outgrow—it’s theirs.
“What’s something you loved once but later outgrew? And would you let your child try it for themselves?”
