Building Resilience in Children and Teens: PTSC Weekly Update

porter-township-schools-logoAnyone who spends much time with me at all learns very quickly how competitive I am. Part of the joy of life for me is making things into a game and then winning that game. But in life we do not always win. There are unexpected twists and turns in the road, an unforeseen obstacle or injury, and even other folks that try to stop us from succeeding. Failures happen.

This is true for our kids, too. Life isn't always easy. Sometimes there are bumps and unexpected challenges. It is important for our kids to learn early in life that these failures do not have to define us--but rather we must "not give up after a defeat" and "never give up" as we "do that which we think we cannot". One way to help build this in our kids is to help them process through disappointments in life and get back on a positive track. These are hard conversations--but will help kids to be prepared for what they face in life.

Here are some resources that may help you in these conversations:
Resilience Guide (for all ages put out by the American Psychological Association)
Building Resilience in Children and Teens
Raising Kids that Thrive with Confidence
10 Tips for Raising Resilient Kids
Promoting Resilience with Young Kids

"The difference between a strong man and a weak one is that the former does not give up after a defeat." - Woodrow Wilson

It's hard to beat a person who never gives up. - Babe Ruth

We gain strength, courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face. We must do that which we think we cannot. - Eleanor Roosevelt