Suffering Inspires Growth

We want to protect our children from suffering.  It is our instinct.  We want to protect them from absolutely every little fall, sniffle, cut, disappointment, sadness and bruise - of the body or of the ego. We feel it is our parental duty and many of us fall into the trap of measuring our success as parents by how comfortable and happy our children seem to be. But, are we inadvertently doing our children a disservice?  When children are so protected from disappointment, discomfort and hurt, how to they develop the tools and strength they need to be successful in life? Are we preparing them for reality, or a fantasy life where success is guaranteed with minimal effort and pain does not exist? How do they learn to cope with the big setbacks in life if they never learn to handle the little ones?