In 2015, I threw my 8-year-old daughter out of a plane.
Queenstown, New Zealand. 14,000 feet. Tandem skydive.
Most parents would have screamed “stop the plane”
I high-fived her.
When she landed she ran to me and said:
“That was so amazing. I want to do it every day.”
People asked: what kind of father does that?
Here’s my answer:
I’m not raising a child to be safe.
The world is not safe.
I’m raising a child to be capable.
I’m raising a lion.
The lion-raising principles I live by:
1. Skin in the game early
— at 18, my daughter pays her own rent
2. Hard things, often
— climbing, sport, travel, real responsibility
3. Brave parenting > safe parenting
— bubble wrap creates fragile adults
4. World-school over standardized
— curiosity over compliance
5. Watch you, not listen to you
— kids imitate what you do, not what you say
If you spend 18 years protecting your child from every sharp edge,
you don’t raise a lion.
You raise something the world will eat.
Fear is just a signal.
Teach them that early or life will teach them late.
📌 Is the way you’re raising your kids producing capability or fragility?
PS: Enjoy this?
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