Encouraging Optimism To Educate Capable Children – Parenthood
As parents, our job is not only to provide children with food, security and affection. We must also train them in values and help them acquire the tools to function in life. There is no doubt that optimism is one of the most needed and forgotten skills in raising children.
Very often we see this value as secondary, of little importance. We associate optimism with typical motivational phrases like “ believe in yourself ” or “ fight for your dreams ”. However, the psychological implications of this concept go far beyond and can help children have happier and more successful lives.
Optimism at the heart of resilience
Resilience is the most important human capacity to face, overcome and even come out stronger from adversity. Since everyone, sooner or later, will experience difficulties, having this ability can save us a lot of suffering in our life.
From failing an exam, betraying a friend, breaking up or losing. All of these everyday situations can create high levels of discomfort for those who do not have the emotional tools to deal with them. This is why working to help our children develop their resilience is a task we should all be doing.
However, this skill is associated with other values that we should encourage to build it. Among them, optimism can be a good starting point because it is strongly linked to others. That is, if we instill an optimistic attitude in children, we will also bring them closer to other important skills.
What is optimism?
Optimism is the tendency to find positive and favorable aspects in every situation. In this way, the person can face obstacles with courage and perseverance, being aware of what is going well and working to improve what is not so beneficial.
Optimistic people have countless benefits in their daily lives. They tend to be hopeful, have better self-esteem and a stronger immune system. In addition, they take more successful actions and are more active in the face of difficulties, taking steps to build an emotional support network.
Conversely, pessimistic people have lower self-esteem, lose hope and give up more easily. In the face of adversity, they tend to become depressed, to do nothing, and to suffer more in their health. They also tend to have feelings of anger more frequently.
Therefore, optimism goes far beyond a naive streak or motivational phrase. It is an excellent psychological resource for building confidence in one’s own ability to be successful and overcome difficulties. So while it is sometimes tempting to focus more on intellectual education, emotional education should not be overlooked.
How to educate capable children?
Optimism is the key to being able to face life with confidence and autonomy. This is why it is important to follow certain guidelines to instill it in the youngest:
- Set an example: be a model of an active and persevering attitude. Let your child observe and learn from your positive, confident, and hopeful attitude in the face of adversity.
- Convey the value of gratitude to her. Being grateful for all the good things around us helps us remember that we are lucky and can hope for the best.
- When he encounters a difficulty, guide him to find the positive aspects and possible solutions. Encourage him to take action instead of getting stuck in passivity and pain.
- Reinforce their accomplishments and reward their efforts. It is essential that optimism conveys a sense of internal control. It is of little use to believe that positive situations are the result of chance or luck. Help him see that he himself has the capacity to influence his situation. That his actions can lead to improvement and success, that he is capable of achieving it if he puts his own effort into it.
- Love him and show him that you love him. Feeling loved will boost their self-esteem, positive self-esteem and self-confidence. Plus, unconditional support can be the safety net it needs to get you started on a fearless exploration of the world.
