Our lives are so busy. Sometimes I feel as if all I do is run errands and shuttle kids back and forth from school, sports, piano lessons and birthday parties. And in all the rush we can forget our objective as parents.
In my mind, one of the main goals of parenting should be to teach our children life skills and resilience so that they can manage one day on their own. So they can be productive and contributing members of our society.
One important life skill is learning to manage the errors we make, repair them and grow from them. Often parents are fearful of allowing their children to move forward, to explore; we are afraid that they will make mistakes. We want to protect our children. However, children who are not allowed to make mistakes can become fearful of making the smallest decisions. They may be hesitant to solve problems and try new experiences.
We want to promote resilience in our children. Resilient children try new things. Resilient children take (healthy) risks. Resilient children make mistakes, get up, brush themselves off and move on.
We need to change our fearful attitude and teach kids to handle their mistakes with aplomb. We can teach kids to celebrate their mistakes.
Join our newest parenting webinar as we explore ways to use Jewish values to raise resilient, responsible and independent kids.
For more information and to sign up, click here:
Using Jewish Values To Raise Resilient, Responsible and Independent Kids