Fostering Resiliency in Your Child Another tool for managing life’s tough times

 Managing challenges and adapting to change are some of the best tools for life we can teach our children. By successfully managing tough situations early on, our children will be more resilient in the future. Adversity is a natural part of life and can range from mild to severe. As parents we often hope and work to keep the adversity our children face to a minimum. However, being able to do so is imperative for successful growth and development. The National Association of School Psychologists support fostering resiliency and offer some ways for parents to do this:
1. Model Positive Thinking! Children and adolescents need to hear parents thinking out loud positively and being determined to persist until a goal is achieved. Using a “can do” problem-solving approach to problems teaches children a sense of power and promise.
2. Express love and gratitude! These emotions increase resiliency. Praise should always occur much more often than criticism. Children and adolescents who are cared for, loved, and supported learn to express positive emotions to others which buffer kids against depression and other negative reactions to adversity.
3. Express yourself! Resilient people appropriately express all emotions, even negative ones. Helping children and adolescents become more aware of emotions and label them appropriately teaches useful life skills.
4. Get fit! Good physical health prepares the body and mind to be more resilient. Healthy eating habits, regular exercise and adequate sleep protect children and adolescents against the stress of tough situations. Regular exercise also decreases negative emotions such as anxiety, anger, and depression.
5. Foster competency! Making sure that children and adolescents achieve academically and develop talents is great protection against adversity. Social competency is also important. Staying connected to friends and loved ones, and even simply helping others, can increase resiliency.
Protecting our children and adolescents against life’s unexpected painful events is not possible. Giving them a sense of competency and the skills to face adverse circumstances can be a valuable legacy of all parents. Resiliency can be built by understanding these important foundations. The more we practice these approaches the better able our children will be to weather whatever life brings.
If you would like more information on fostering resiliency, please contact the offices of Dynamic Interventions, Inc. at 661-257-1254 or on the web at www.dynamicinterventions.net.