One of the notions I really feel like writing about nowadays is RESILIENCE.
Freud said that “LOVE and WORK are the cornerstones of our humanness”.
By that he meant that in order to live a happy and healthy life, we need to do something PRODUCTIVE (work), and also, to have few significant RELATIONSHIPS/ connections (love).
Those 2 foundations will help us live a satisfying life, besides being resilient, when hardship occurs.
So what can I do today, in order to make sure my child grows to be happy and resilient?
LOVE – Prioritize relationships!! Encourage your child to nurture a few good relations with friends - by helping him to meet up, organizing playdates and so forth. But also by modeling healthy relationships. Your child is watching you all the time, and learns from your behavior what relationships are about. So be cautious about the way you speak, or treat other people, including him.
WORK – Give your child as many opportunities as you can to help at home, to have chores, tasks and responsibilities. Always say “thank you” and highlight the fact he is significant, and part of the family. Furthermore, look at his day at school, or pre-school, as his “day-job”. Just like we go to work, they also have their duty - to attend school. The more my child feels able, capable and productive, the more his self-confidence increases.
Another great way to emphasize both meaningful connections and work/responsibility, is to encourage children to be part of a sports team, a youth movement, or any other hobby that involves a COMMUNITY.
If you want to acquire more tools on raising self-confident and resilient children, feel free to reach out!