Most newly planted trees don’t need to be anchored and supported; they’ll grow just fine on their own. Staking (when it’s done improperly) can actually harm a tree. And if staked too long, the tree will develop an overall weaker root structure.

But there are indeed times when a sapling needs a little help. When it can’t stand on its own, where there are high winds, where the soil is particularly loose — these are times when staking is fully appropriate.

It’s not because the tree is particularly weak. Or lazy. Or unmotivated. Or cheating.

It’s because — in order to eventually thrive — the tree requires a reasonable level of temporary support.

We can use this as a metaphor. Whether we ourselves need the support, or we’re providing it, or we’re witnessing it … we can recognize that there’s a time and place. And done properly, it can be in service of future growth and independence.