With a successful soft launch of Strolling 4 Resilience yesterday, and as we approach the official launch Next Thursday at 10:30 am from The Dock, it got me thinking…
What are three habits we can give kids to help them be more resilient, so they can sustainably navigate the throes of life?
Not always finding the “silver lining” as soon as something goes wrong. We hate seeing our kids hurting and want to make them feel better but sometimes they need to know that life isn’t always fair. We need to acknowledge their feelings and help them to work out how to move forward.
1. Listen to them
2. Acknowledged their feelings
3. Help them solve the problem not fix it for them
1. Allow them to experiment and make mistakes but be there to expose the lesson or learning available from the mistake.
2. Take the 'training wheels' off early - physically and metaphorically. Let them walk to school, catch the bus, go to the shops, go to the movies etc.
3. Allow them to see failure, conflict resolution, difficult conversations, and your own emotions.
I’m trying to encourage my son to follow his curiosities and try to not be the guys who just says “NO!” All the time. He’s gunna try to do silly shit all the time, I’d rather stand behind him as he does it and make sure he’s ok than just tell him not to do it, because if I tell him not to do it it’s going to limit his own self belief. I don’t want him growing up thinking he can’t achieved anything because I was too lazy to support and nurture his curiosity.
When kids feel that they are safe when trying to do something they haven’t done before they’re more likely to try, hence more likely to build self belief, and self belief is what will dig you out of a hole later on when you need to.
Not always finding the “silver lining” as soon as something goes wrong. We hate seeing our kids hurting and want to make them feel better but sometimes they need to know that life isn’t always fair. We need to acknowledge their feelings and help them to work out how to move forward.
1. Listen to them
2. Acknowledged their feelings
3. Help them solve the problem not fix it for them
I’m trying to teach my kids how to self regulate by focusing on doing it myself. Monkey see monkey do
1. Allow them to experiment and make mistakes but be there to expose the lesson or learning available from the mistake.
2. Take the 'training wheels' off early - physically and metaphorically. Let them walk to school, catch the bus, go to the shops, go to the movies etc.
3. Allow them to see failure, conflict resolution, difficult conversations, and your own emotions.
BTW, Strolling 4 Resilience is a great initiative, well done on expanding the network and the cause
A good kick up the arse!
I’m kidding.
I’m trying to encourage my son to follow his curiosities and try to not be the guys who just says “NO!” All the time. He’s gunna try to do silly shit all the time, I’d rather stand behind him as he does it and make sure he’s ok than just tell him not to do it, because if I tell him not to do it it’s going to limit his own self belief. I don’t want him growing up thinking he can’t achieved anything because I was too lazy to support and nurture his curiosity.
When kids feel that they are safe when trying to do something they haven’t done before they’re more likely to try, hence more likely to build self belief, and self belief is what will dig you out of a hole later on when you need to.