The Uncomfortable Truth about Growing Pains

As a child, I remember waking up in the middle of the night with my legs aching in pain. Mom would give me a drink of milk, and tell me to go back to bed. Sometimes when it was really bad, she would wrap them up in a heating pad.

Years later when my kiddos started having growing pains, I offered the same remedies my mom had taught me. Through their cries of discomfort, I would reassure them that these pains were a good thing. It meant their bodies were growing bigger and stronger.

Growth

Today my growing pains are a little different from when I was younger. My legs may not be experiencing discomfort from the stretching and lengthening, but my soul feels the enlarging of my capacities and the increase in my learning. As with most things uncomfortable, the common side effect is growth.

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. -Neale Donald Walsch

Anytime we choose to stretch our abilities, try hard things, take risks and expose our most vulnerable self we open a whole new world of possibilities. True growth only happens when we step outside of our comfort zone.