McConaughey on small risks

Matthew McConaughey, fifty-six, says parents should allow children to take small, manageable risks. He shared this view on Tuesday's episode of the Build or Break podcast with host Daniel Lubetzky.

Kids aren't born afraid

McConaughey compared risk-taking to watching a child climb a tree. Kids aren't afraid of heights until they fall, he said, and a minor tumble onto grass teaches them confidence without serious injury.

“Look, kids aren't afraid of heights until they fall. Every parent knows this.”

The beauty of ignorance

Overprotecting children by placing a safety net removes what McConaughey calls the beauty of ignorance.

“You've already taken away a beauty of ignorance, which is something that I know has gotten me through a lot of pickles in my life.”

When to step in

McConaughey said parents should draw a line at genuine danger. Once a child is high enough that a fall could be fatal, a parent should quietly guide them back down rather than let them continue.

His mother's approach

McConaughey learned this outlook from his mother, Kay McConaughey, whom he called the queen of denial.

Failure as a gift

McConaughey said denial in this way is part of the resilience needed to reach a point where you realize that failure was actually a gift. This perspective shaped how he raises his three children today.

“that failure, which it was, was actually a gift”