How to Raise Loving, Secure and Self-Reliant Children

I am calling out to all of my friends, colleagues, and fellow moms everywhere for your views on how to maintain that incredible closeness we have with our children and the ability to let them become independent. How to let them know how much they are loved and yet not indulge their every whim, how to pick them up when they fall, and yet teach them how to pick themselves up at the same time. Blessing Of a Skinned Knee is a beautiful book that teaches us how raise self-reliant children. Wendy Mogel in her inspiring book with her nine blessings helps us addresss key parenting issues such as respect, keeping expectations in line with your child's temperament, coping with frustration, avoiding overscheduling (oops!), overindugence and more. We are so busy, so overscheduled, and we want to fit it all in. I know that time spent with my children and not just quality time, but morning time, cuddle time, meal time, homework time, bath time, bedtime, is all important, and I know that every minute of it stands them in good stead. Balance is the key element for all of us in our lives and as a Life Coach, I am forever doing this exercise called the Wheel of Life with my clients where we determine how deeply satisifed they are at a given time with love, career, heath, family, fun and personal growth at a given time. And when one of the wedges in the wheel is out of whack, our whole balance is off. I'd love to hear from you how to balance wanting to hold on for dear life to letting them have their independence. Their first sleepover, camp, school, drops offs-how do you make it work for you? And what are the life lessons you use to help you let them find those wings even when the roots are strong? Do you believe in reaching down with a bandaid the moment the knee is skinned and being there "at the ready", or letting them experience the fall? How do you do it? I'd love to know because it is my greatest challenge. What is it for you?