Summarize

Henry Petroski’s “Falling Down is Part of Growing Up” explains one of the most obvious but easily overlooked lessons in life: that mistakes, failures, and faults become the keys to learning, growth, and development. The title of the essay references the nursery rhyme “London Bridge is Falling Down.” Petroski claims that this nursery rhyme also serves as a means of subtly reminding children that even the most remarkable feats of human engineering are built by humans and therefore have within them the potential to fail eventually. The key is not to become bogged down by falling, but to have the foresight to prevent errors and also the patience to recover from them gracefully. In the essay, Petroski also shows how some of the most perennially popular children’s tales and nursery rhymes teach the need to learn from mistakes.

Analyze

I fully agree with the author’s position, that “falling down is part of growing up.” Too often in our society, we coddle children and prevent them from learning valuable lessons. When overprotective parents prevent their children from falling down, or react as if the world is coming to an end after a child makes a mistake, the child never learns to become stronger or cultivate the self-confidence needed to improve.

Before reading Petroski’s essay, many children’s nursery rhymes seemed coldhearted. Petroski’s analysis sheds light on the hidden meaning in these children’s stories, showing readers that falling down should be something all human beings are comfortable with. When we have reliable friends and family members and a supportive community, falling down means learning how to lean on others and learn from them, trusting that we will always be supported even during our most difficult days.