I'm not as old or experienced as some of my friends (50+) and I'm not as young and inexperienced as some of my friends (< 25). I'm not talking about making dec

I'm not as old or experienced as some of my friends (50+) and I'm not as young and inexperienced as some of my friends (< 25). I'm not talking about making decisions. Though if we want to talk about that, then there is a whole study of strategic thinking, that is, the making of decisions in face of uncertainty. Experience helps there, but not to make more informed decisions (in high uncertainty, you can not use past knowledge as primary driver for making decisions). Rather, where past experience helps is in staying calm while you are deciding your actions in face of uncertainty. Having had a lot of experiences gives an older person far more opportunities to practice this, but this is not a guarantee. Naiveté sometimes (not always) protect someone by letting them stay sane while bad shit happens. There are also shadow sides: where the parent's own aversions and fear of loss gets enters the picture, commingling with love and affection. I'm not digressing. I'm getting to the heart of the issue: what's at stake isn't simply what's best (or so you think, what's best) for the child, but also your own needs projected into the role as the parent. Being very, very clear about yourself helps. A lot.