Dealing with Disappointment
-March 30, 2011-Comments (0)
This week I attended a meeting about transitioning kids into middle school. Yikes, middle school! Does that bring up not so pleasant memories for you as it does for me? There aren't many people I know who talk about the middle school years without thinking of the difficult moments.As I listened in that meeting, the speaker shared that one of the best things you can instill in your kids is a sense of resiliency, dealing with disappoitment and loss and moving forward. And I have to agree. Too many times it is easy to cover up issues rather than deal with them, pretend you are not hurting, or avoid conflicts altogether.
This reminder of building resiliency is a good one not only for middle schoolers but also for parents too. How do you say you deal with problems? Difficult times are going to come. Preparing your kids for them takes a lot of work.
Here are some ways to help build resilency that I thought of while reflecting on that middle school meeting.
- Model yourself how to deal with disappointment.
- Admit when you deal with things badly.
- Ask forgiveness when you mess up.
- Talk openly your disappointment with trusted confidants.
- Realize that is OK to feel the disappointment or loss. Don't cover up the pain.
- Address issues that arise when your emotions are in check but without putting aside for too long.
- Don't let fear determine your behavior. Recognize that it does take courage to get back on the horse!
- Pray to God for clear direction. Praise Him always for His goodness and thank Him for His blessings!
What other ideas would you add to the list?
