I had tears rolling down my cheeks as I watched my eight-year-old daughter catch her first wave on Saturday. She was a mix of pride and nerves when she hopped off the board and hugged me on the shoreline, and as her mother I shared the same mix of emotions.

She observed the other kids riding the waves from the comfort of the warm sand all morning. She knew she wanted to conquer the ocean to gain bragging rights, if nothing else. Every time she peered out to the ocean to see other kids her age hanging their first ten, she quickly returned to playing in the sand with her sisters.

When it was time for her surf lesson to begin she grabbed my hand and walked down the beach with me silently. I tried to give her encouragement and ease her nerves, but I don’t think she heard a word I uttered. She had left the safetly, security, and warmth of the sand to venture off into the unpredictable, cold ocean.

As I watched her, with her instructor, navigate over swells larger than she was I felt every protective vibe overtake me as a parent. I wanted to be on a board beside her coaching her along, but there are some roads we have to take on our own to get the full impact of the experience. As much as I wanted to run into the Pacific and be there, I knew I would be stunting her growth. As her board turned around in the horizon and her wobbly legs carried her in on a moderately sized crest, I couldn’t have been more proud. She had accomplished her goal and I had unknowingly accomplished a new stage of motherhood, too. As hard as it was for her to put her feet on that long board and paddle out, it was just as hard for me to keep my feet on the dry sand and not follow her.

Several years ago a friend of mine looked at my two toddler-aged girls and said, “Some day they won’t need you to change their diapers, spoon feed them their meals, dress them, and bathe them anymore. They’ll do that all on their own and you won’t be so exhausted.” At the time, the thought that they would gain independence seemed unimaginable. But that day has long since come and gone, and now my girls are continually seeking opportunities for independence. I still worry about the baby steps they take, and they aren’t anywhere close to total independence, but all the risks involved are worth the reward of total confidence and pride they get from overcoming hurdles on their own.

Driving home gave me a chance to reflect on times when I’ve taken a leap in my own life: going off to college, getting married, taking a new job, becoming a mother. It’s terrifying and exhilirating all at the same time. You know it’s something you want, but when you’re in the moment it sometimes takes all of your best efforts to not run the other direction. Fear begins to grow greater than your desire to obtain your goal. It’s in those moments of personal growth  that can be filled with the most self-doubt, but can in the end be the most rewarding when we overcome fear and replace it with faith in ourselves.