I interviewed 70 parents who raised highly successful adults—their top 4 regrets: 'I shouldn’t have fixed things for them'

As parents, we often wonder if we're doing the right thing for our children. No one is immune to that kind of thinking.

I have interviewed hundreds of young entrepreneurs and their parents to learn how they were raised. Most parents who raised highly successful adults did a great job.

What surprised me is that many parents admitted that there were a few things they would have done differently, if they could go back in time. 

These were the top regrets they had in common:

Many future successful entrepreneurs were great students and breezed through top universities. Some finished, but were miserable. Others dropped out of college or didn't go at all. 

While education is important, it has to be a good fit. Looking back, some parents realized they would have preferred that their kids thrive, perhaps in an untraditional environment, rather than slog through an expensive, unhappy four years. 

Similarly, many parents recalled pushing their children to spend less time doing what they loved, and more time studying or doing an activity that would make them more appealing to a top school.

In hindsight, the parents now realize that when their children put in the 10,000 hours to gain a skill in what they loved — even though the parents may have thought it was a waste of time — it proved to be more useful as they began their career.

Of course we want to keep our children safe — but holding on too tightly can prevent them from flying.

I don't often hear parents say they wish they had given their children less freedom. Instead, it's the opposite: "Why didn't I let them go off on their own more?" or "I feel bad they never had any independence until they went to college. I should have started letting them do things on their own earlier."

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