It’s tough to watch our children struggle through the hardships that can teach life lessons—even when we know they’ll come out stronger for it on the other side. Like the time my daughter had a high school teacher who not only was a poor instructor but he picked on her too. When she asked me to get her moved out of his class, I told her, “There are going to be people you come across in life who are difficult. But you have to learn to deal with them instead of avoiding them. If you can make it through this year with this teacher, you’ll come out of it stronger.”
Of course, I wanted to swoop in and make things better. But I knew that she needed to do this on her own so that she would have the benefit of learning a life lesson. Well, she made it through and did come out stronger—but it was still a really difficult year. Later, that life lesson served her well in college and at her first internship in New York City where she had some very tough bosses. Strong kids take many life lessons to develop. Here are 3 life lessons for kids to make them stronger.
1. Just because you’re down you’re not out.
Feeling beaten up doesn’t mean you’re beaten. Our kids need to know that failures can make them stronger—if they fight their way through them. The key is to teach them to be problem solvers so that they can assess the situation and come up with their own solutions. Our Problem Solver Challenge will help you teach them how to do it. The beauty of this approach is that their confidence in overcoming obstacles will grow as they have success.
2. Don’t go it alone.
One of the greatest life lessons we can teach our children is that they do not have to go through the tough times alone. There is no shame in leaning on parents, wise friends, or faith. To make this life lesson effective, though, moms must make sure they’re approachable. Do your best to listen to your children without immediately offering advice or telling them what to do. Sometimes, they might just need to be in your company.
3. Stay calm.
When our children find themselves in a trying or upsetting situation, their immediate reaction might be to let anger or fear take over. Explain to them that the best way to deal with tough times is to calmly assess (yes, that word again) the situation and come up with a plan. Getting hysterical or finding someone to blame won’t help them get through to the other side. In fact, it can delay them from finding a way out.
So equip your children by teaching them these 3 lessons so they can face their hardships with success.
And tell us, has it been difficult for you to let your children learn life lessons the hard way?
