(This article is part of our series on Mindset.)
As you watch your child take on something new, how many of you silently pray “Oh gosh, please, please let him not fail”?
It’s the natural parenting instinct in us.
Most of us do this, even though we know that statistically, there is no way anyone can go through their life without failing a few times. And we do it in spite of understanding at some level that a few setbacks may actually be good for for our kids – to learn perseverance, grit, resilience; to build character and to feel a deep fulfilling satisfaction when they succeed.
So, given that our kids will fail at some time or the other, and failure is in some sense necessary for them (and that we have a very weak stomach for it), how can we respond appropriately in case of setbacks and failures, so we can teach our kids to deal with them effectively?
That is the question we will deal with today. [Read more…]