As much as you love to be there for your child in all situations throughout their life, it's impossible always to be physically present...
As much as you love to be there for your child in all situations throughout their life, it's impossible always to be physically present, but your teachings will always remain with them; thus, you should consider ways to raise a mentally resilient child who can handle any situation. A great way to raise your child to be resilient is by standing by while they make errors and have problems without swooping in to save the day like the super parent you are, allowing them to get frustrated from their efforts and learn better ways to handle the issue. Another method you can use to raise a mentally resilient child is preaching a growth mindset to them to realize that they will always grow in life; this will help them see any failure or obstacle as a hurdle they will cross as they continue to grow.
You can also show them the world's reality by letting them know things don't happen the way their idealistic mindset thinks they happen; showing them real-life examples of actions, reactions, and consequences can help them realize this quickly. Similarly, you may teach them how to remain optimistic in every situation as optimism is the hallmark of a resilient mind; being able to see the silver lining in every issue will help them shrug off the negativity in such subject and think of how to turn the matter in their absolute advantage.
You can use these brilliant ways to raise a mentally resilient child:
Teaching your child to always consider growth is an essential life skill that will give them the courage to face obstacles and try new things without the fear of failure because they already think of failure as a normal phenomenon that growth cleans off. To raise a mentally resilient child with a growth mindset, you have to be a role model to the child, and you can be this inspiration by embracing obstacles, making mistakes, and working on becoming better at achieving success. When they are tackling an issue and complain about its difficulty, be sure to inform them that it's just a task that perseverance and fine-tuning of methods can eventually solve; also remind them of their excellent results in past tasks. A great tip you can teach them is to use the word "yet" in their conclusion about a task, so instead of resigning to the fate that they can't do a task, they should simply believe they can't do it yet; hence allowing them to prepare and re-tackle the task.
A little negativity around a child when solving an issue can set them back and prevent them from completing the mission, but your teachings about maintaining a positive outlook in all situations can raise a mentally resilient child that will be able to look for the good in the issue and find the strength to continue. Children observe your every move and try to copy you as much as possible in all their dealing; therefore, you have to maintain a positive attitude towards every challenge you face, so your child can emulate you. Also, try to talk positively to them, not caring if they did a bad thing or a good deed; if they do something good, praise them for their efforts and motivate them to do better, and if it's something terrible, correct their mistake without shouting or scolding. Similarly, consider surrounding your child with positive people so they may influence your child and cause them to always think positively; you can try to vet their friends to ensure there is some positivity in them because friendship impacts perception.
Despite the instinctual desire you have to protect your child from the realities of the world, you know deep down that to raise a mentally resilient child, you have to educate them on how the world really works and how to function in the midst of it all. An integral lesson to teach them is that there are bad people in the world who will try to cause malice or mischief with their actions, and to win over them, your child has to be careful with the bad people and maintain their good. Also, educate them about how diverse human interests are and how everyone can't like them because that's just how the world works; humans have different behavioral traits they admire in people, and your child can't have a set of behaviors that satisfies everyone. Similarly, be sure to inform them that life isn't fair and people can't just get what they want because they worked for it; there's an imbalance in the world, and people can do all things right but still end with bad results.
Encouraging a creative drive in your child can help you raise a mentally resilient child as it gives them a chance to develop innovative means of coping with complex issues and tackling them decisively. To solve a problem creatively, teach your child first to identify and define the problem, gather data about its origin to understand it clearly, and create questions that help you formulate solutions to the problem. After identifying the problem, your child can begin to explore various ideas that can solve the issue; they can do this by brainstorming many ideas without you casting any of them apart so that their brain will keep pumping out solutions without fear of rejection. Once enough ideas have been gotten, help them streamline the options by weighing their pros and cons against each other till you arrive at the best option; then, teach them to create a plan to execute the idea.
A great way to raise a mentally resilient child is to stay back and let them make independent decisions without your input, allowing them to make mistakes, work on them, and achieve success. When you let your child make their decisions without jumping to their rescue every time, you help them build self-confidence, which will make them brave and unafraid of failure whenever they want to make a solo decision. Creating an opportunity for them to go through complicated decision-making processes alone also affords them a chance to build valuable life skills like coping with challenging situations, building self-control, and developing accurate self-awareness. Similarly, staying back while they make their mistakes ensures that they learn to accept responsibility for their decisions; when they make good decisions, they will enjoy the rewards, and if the decision is poor, they will bear the result.
When you pamper your child and protect them from every challenging situation, you may stunt their mental growth, preventing them from adequately traversing difficult situations in the future. To raise a mentally resilient child, you should try to teach them about the growth mindset, cultivate a positive outlook, allow them to embrace reality, encourage their creativity, and watch them make mistakes.
https://www.ahealthysliceoflife.com/how-to-encourage-a-growth-mindset-in-your-child/
https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/advice/ways-to-raise-a-resilient-child/
https://www.scarymommy.com/harsh-realities-of-life-teaching-kids/amp
https://www.homeschool-your-boys.com/allowing-your-child-to-make-mistakes/
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, and owner of Overcomers Counseling. I'm dedicated to helping individuals find strength and healing through life’s challenges. With a deep understanding of mental health and years of professional experience, I specialize in fostering hope and resilience while equipping her clients with tools to thrive. Passionate about empowering others, she creates a safe, supportive space where everyone feels seen, valued, and capable of overcoming obstacles on their path to well-being.
Help your child by providing support and guidance, using positive language, highlighting the progress they have made, breaking down the challenge into smaller steps, and motivating them with positive affirmations.
