September 21st, 2023
In America…
Are our kids prepared?
Or have we kept them soft and incapable?
I think one the best ways we can combat anxiety and despair in kids is for parents to make them do hard things. From a very young age. Let them feel discomfort and frustration and realize that they will survive and even thrive for having gone through it. This builds confidence—and a sense of being capable and competent. When we do not feel capable, anxiety soars, depression soars. Why would we ever put our kids in that position?
Making our kids do hard things means we also need to be willing to feel our own discomfort and frustration that comes with this process. It is easier for us to make life easier for them— to throw in the towel and bail them out the moment we see them struggling. We rob them every time we do this.
This is gold.