I know, it sounds backwards. Most parenting instincts are protect, intervene, smooth the path. But a growing body of evidence suggests that some of the best things you can do for your child involve stepping back and letting them stumble, on purpose, while the consequences are still small. Here are four ways you can put that into practice today.

As a therapist specializing in therapy for women and women's mental health, I work with perfectionism and overachieving anxiety every day—not just in my practice, but in my own life.