The opposite of a sophomoric person is that person who actually does have a high degree of information but is afraid to take risks or leave the perceived safety of "what everyone else is doing." This type of low creativity/independence is sometimes referred to as "analysis paralysis". People with analysis paralysis may feel afraid to attempt anything that does not conform to known patterns.

Like the Biblical parable of the servant who buried his money rather than investing it, people in this danger zone may bury the talents God has entrusted to them.

Here, again, a balanced hand in parenting can make a difference. If children are trained to conform at all times, they may become afraid to develop their own talents and opinions due to a lack of confidence or sense of false humility.

How many opportunities are lost when we are fearful?

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For four years, I had the opportunity to live in Europe.

I will admit that some aspects of living abroad are daunting: learning to speak a foreign language or learning to drive with different laws and customs and street signs that must be translated. Household bills, printed in a foreign language, require money to be converted at a constantly changing rate before they can be paid. Under the best of circumstances, everyday living can seem overwhelming. To top that, my husband's grandmother passed away a few days after I arrived. He was flown home to speak at her funeral while I remained with the boxes, a jet-lagged toddler, no car, and a raging virus of some kind. I'll skip the yucky details and just tell you that my first week in country was ROUGH! ;)

As soon as possible, I made a trip to the nearest military base for a good ol' American hamburger. I got our toddler settled in her booster seat, munching French fries, and went to get our drinks. The lady beside me at the beverage station asked me if I could give her directions to a nearby town. Even though I was new, the town name was familiar.

"Oh, that's easy," I said. "I just drove through it. Drive right outside the gates and turn left. It's only about 3 kilometers down the road. You can't miss it!" I smiled. "You must be new here, too."

"Oh, no," she said. "We've been here three years. I've always felt scared to leave base, but I figure I ought to see at least some of Europe before we ship out next week."

I didn't reply, but my brain was screaming ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?

Think of the wonderful opportunities we miss when we lack the confidence to act or the drive to try something new!

Realizing that the knowledge I'd need was easily attainable, I signed up for beginning language lessons as soon as we finished our burgers!

I'm pleased to say I had an amazing experience over our four-year stay. :)

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We want our children to learn to be safe and wise, but we don't want to squash their creativity and confidence in the process.

Balance is key. Creativity and knowledge must grow together.

We don't want our children to become risk averse. Instead, we must teach them how to analyze and assess risks, devise acceptable solutions, and even create new possibilities!