--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Licking a 9-volt battery, learning to…" description: "\"“Licking a 9-volt battery, learning to whittle, riding a bicycle, climbing trees: we may not see these as necessities like learning to read and write (..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/gever-tulley-22580_children_licking-a-9-volt-battery-learning-to-whi_1559031.jpg" --- # Licking a 9-volt battery, learning to whittle, riding a… ![“Licking a 9-volt battery, learning to whittle, riding a bicycle, climbing trees: we may not see these as necessities like learning to read and write (until you need to make a marshmallow roasting stick or escape a mad dog); however, they are some of the thousands of experiences that build…” quote by Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/gever-tulley-22580_children_licking-a-9-volt-battery-learning-to-whi_1559031.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/gever-tulley-22580_children_licking-a-9-volt-battery-learning-to-whi_1559031.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/gever-tulley-22580_children_licking-a-9-volt-battery-learning-to-whi_1559031.jpg) > ““Licking a 9-volt battery, learning to whittle, riding a bicycle, climbing trees: we may not see these as necessities like learning to read and write (until you need to make a marshmallow roasting stick or escape a mad dog); however, they are some of the thousands of experiences that build self-confidence and make up a life lived fully. It’s tempting to let our fears keep us from allowing children to have these kinds of experiences, but as parents and caretakers we need to confront our biases just as kids need to face their own challenges.”” [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hands‑on, unconventional experiences build confidence and a full life; fear often blocks them, but confronting bias lets children grow. **In simple terms:** Unusual activities boost confidence; fear limits growth. Key Takeaway Encourage risky play and confront biases. Themes confidence growth risk parenting Mood reflective hopeful Type parenting motivational When to use this quote - camping trips - DIY projects - outdoor play - skill workshops Key Concepts experiential learning self‑efficacy risk‑taking Questions to Reflect On - What experiences did you miss that could have built confidence? - How can adults model risk‑taking for kids? A Different Perspective Safety concerns and modern regulations may restrict such activities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allowing Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allowing-children-1539763/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Climbing trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climbing-trees/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Confidence Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence-make-477660/) [Experiences Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiences-parents-919903/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Learning to read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning-to-read/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Read And Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-and-write/) [Riding a bicycle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riding-a-bicycle/) [Self confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-confidence/) ## Related quotes > [“When people recover from depression via psychotherapy, their attributions about recovery are likely to be different than those of people who have been treated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-kirsch/when-people-recover-from-depression-via-psychotherapy-their/) [Irving Kirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-kirsch/) > [Certainly my personality, my sense of humor, my outlook on life was informed by the experiences of my parents and the stories they shared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geddy-lee/certainly-my-personality-my-sense-of-humor-my-outlook-on-life-was/) [Geddy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geddy-lee/) > [Stuart, who had just witnessed me go through an entire rainbow of emotions and experiences. There was parents-have-just-been-jailed me, stuck-in-a-strange-town me, insane-and-can't-shut-up me, kind-of-snarky-to-the-strange-guy-trying-to-be-helpful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/stuart-who-had-just-witnessed-me-go-through-an-entire-rainbow-of/) [Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/) > [Responsibility is fostered by allowing children a voice and wherever indicated a choice in matters that affect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/responsibility-is-fostered-by-allowing-children-a-voice-and-wherever/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) > [Allowing children to show their guilt, show their grief, show their anger, takes the sting out of the situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/allowing-children-to-show-their-guilt-show-their-grief-show-their/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [“What would have become of the people five hundred years ago if they had followed strictly the advice of the doctors? 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No one can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/you-can-achieve-anything-if-you-just-believe-in-yourself-no-one-else/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [INTELLIGENCE AND CONFIDENCE ARE WHAT MAKE A WOMAN SEXY AS HELL!!!! BUT RESPECT HONESTY AND VALUES ARE THE REAL WORKS OF BEAUTY THAT MAKE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/intelligence-and-confidence-are-what-make-a-woman-sexy-as-hell-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A little confidence can make the simplest of T-shirts look like a million bucks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-levy/a-little-confidence-can-make-the-simplest-of-t-shirts-look-like-a/) [Dan Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-levy/) > [“The presence of confidence can make an unable man appear able. While its absence can make an able man appear unable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/the-presence-of-confidence-can-make-an-unable-man-appear-able-while/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) ## More by Gever Tulley > [We put suffocation warnings on all the - on every piece of plastic film manufactured in the United States or for sale with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/we-put-suffocation-warnings-on-all-the-on-every-piece-of-plastic-film/) [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) > [“Violent crime is at an all-time low in our country, yet numerous studies show that crime is a significant portion of news coverage. By…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/violent-crime-is-at-an-all-time-low-in-our-country-yet-numerous/) [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) > [The evolution of playground equipment has been to this ever safer, less challenging, less interesting assemblies of equipment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/the-evolution-of-playground-equipment-has-been-to-this-ever-safer/) [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) > [“Lick a 9-Volt Battery” was chosen as the first topic in Fifty Dangerous Things because we thought that most parents would have already done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/lick-a-9-volt-battery-was-chosen-as-the-first-topic-in-fifty/) [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) > [When we strive to remove all risk from childhood we also remove the foundations of a rational adulthood, and we eliminate the very experiences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/when-we-strive-to-remove-all-risk-from-childhood-we-also-remove-the/) [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) > [Tinkering is a way of understanding difficult problems, of wrapping our heads around them and quantifying the unknowns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/tinkering-is-a-way-of-understanding-difficult-problems-of-wrapping/) [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) > [“The best reason to examine the pervasive influence of dangerism is to ensure we aren’t hindering our children’s development by limiting their experiences in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/the-best-reason-to-examine-the-pervasive-influence-of-dangerism-is-to/) [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) > [As individuals, and as a society, we can choose to take responsibility for ourselves. In doing so we have to accept that sometimes when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/as-individuals-and-as-a-society-we-can-choose-to-take-responsibility/) [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) > [Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work though difficult problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/persistence-and-resilience-only-come-from-having-been-given-the/) [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) > [The news media is so quick to pick up tragic stories of imperiled children that it seems like there are more terrible events today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/the-news-media-is-so-quick-to-pick-up-tragic-stories-of-imperiled/) [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) > [“Children who are protected from every possible source of danger never learn to deal with risk. Lenore Skenazy puts it this way, “If kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/children-who-are-protected-from-every-possible-source-of-danger-never/) [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) > [Pocketknives are kind of drifting out of our cultural consciousness, which I think is a terrible thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/pocketknives-are-kind-of-drifting-out-of-our-cultural-consciousness/) [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) > [Kids who grow up in radically different environments are always going to have different comfort levels with regard to a topic. 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And all of these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/christie-barnes13-has-surveyed-what-parents-are-most-worried-about14/) [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) [Explore all 27 Gever Tulley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) ## More Child quotes > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? 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Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [I'm a weirdo and an only child. 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Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [Bring up your children in the way you think other peoples children should go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/bring-up-your-children-in-the-way-you-think-other-peoples-children/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. 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