The Building Blocks of Tenacity – Helping Kids Develop A Stick To It Attitude

Parents admittedly would love to raise children that have a “get to it” attitude. The notion that they should stick to things and not quit when things get hard is a good thing. Sometimes it’s a struggle to get a child to get to that place. You may wish it upon them, you can even make sure to provide ample energy, but it’s not cut and dry. There are some building blocks that need to be put in place for this to manifest, and it starts with simple steps. There is no “secret” formula here, it’s going to take time, but at least you can know what steps help the process.

Don’t Be Quick To Help

Here’s the worst thing you can do for your child, and it’s to jump in and save the day every time. When children know that their parents will bail them out of difficult issues, they will rely so much on it, they won’t try. It’s tough to ignore that parental element that wants to baby, and coddle children as they grow. Ignore it, or you’ll have to deal with teenagers and adults that expect a bail out at every turn. There’s a fine line here, so you’ll have to toe it a bit.

Don’t Let Them Quit

When your child joins something, don’t let them quit too easily. This becomes especially true for lessons, sports, and anything else that takes on practice. They may hate it at first, they may even want to quit outright, but it’s imperative that you let others instruct your children. Let them guide them into how to master something new, and they will appreciate you and their teachers for it. Again, you have to monitor when it’s time to allow one to quit, because there are situations that call for it. But outside of specific issues, don’t let them quit things too easily.

Instruct Them To Bounce Back
The fundamental cornerstone for tenacity is here. You need to instruct your children to bounce back after failure. They may face off against a number of issues. They may fall, skid their knee, or even fail a test. Don’t let them dwell on it, but rather accept it, and help them recover and triumph. Failure is a part of life, and if you can teach children that it’s normal to fail, you’ll be doing a good service. But this only works if you show them the triumph of bouncing back. There’s a give and take here, so don’t just accept failure and leave it alone. Accept failures, but move forward to triumph and overcoming the odds after the fact.