10 Keys To Raising Resilient Children – Parenting

You’ve probably heard a lot about the term “resilience” lately. In case someone is not yet sure of its meaning, it is about ” the ability of an individual to build and live satisfactorily despite traumatic circumstances ” (Larousse).

So, in this article, we’re going to give parents some standards for raising resilient children. In this way, parents and children can benefit from it and overcome the adverse situations that arise in the best possible way.

How do you raise resilient children?

Resilience is a capacity that we can all develop and learn. It’s about raising resilient children to cope in the best possible way with adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or even major sources of stress.

With this, you can help them deal with their stress as well as the feelings of anxiety and uncertainty that they experience in difficult times.

Resilience is almost essential to cope well with crises and changes. Resilient people use problems to grow.

This does not mean, however, that they do not suffer because of the difficulties that fall upon them; they are simply able to overcome them, focusing on the solution and adapting to the new circumstances.

We can all build resilience and help our children to do the same. The capacity for resilience involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned over time. We will now present to you  the standards proposed by the American Psychological Association for developing resilience  (APA, 2020):

1. Build relationships

Teach our children how to make friends, including the ability to empathize or feel the pain of others. Encourage our children to be friends so that they can have friends.

Connecting with others gives us social support and builds resilience. In addition, developing a strong family network helps our children face disillusionment and inevitable injury.

2. Help our children by encouraging them to help others

Helping others can help children avoid that feeling that tells them they can’t do anything. Encouraging our children to participate in age-appropriate volunteer work or asking them for help with a task they might do at home can be very beneficial.

3. Maintain a Daily Routine to Raise Resilient Children

Sticking to and maintaining a routine can be comforting enough for children, especially the little ones, who need structures in their lives. Encouraging our children to have their routine is therefore a good thing.

4. Take a break

Teach children to  focus on something other than what worries them. As parents, we need to be careful about the things our children are exposed to, whether it’s the news, the internet, or conversations they overhear. We need to make sure that the little ones disconnect from these things if they are bothering them or causing them discomfort.

5. Personal care

Set an example and teach our children the importance of taking the time to eat well, exercise and rest. Make sure they have time to have fun and that their lives are not overbooked without a moment to relax.

Taking care of ourselves, and even having fun, will help us balance and cope better with stressful times.

6. Move Towards the Goals to Raise Resilient Children

Teach our children to  set reasonable goals and progress gradually to achieve them successfully. 

Taking even small steps towards the goal and receiving compliments for doing so will allow children to focus on their goal instead of focusing on what they failed to do. It can help them build resilience to cope better with life’s challenges.

7. Fuel positive self-esteem

Remind our children of a situation and how they may have faced it in the past, despite the difficulties. After that, helping them understand that  these past challenges will help them develop the strength to handle the challenges ahead.

Help little ones learn to be confident in solving problems and making the right decisions. Teach them to take life with humor and being able to laugh at themselves.

8. Maintain a positive outlook and attitude to raise resilient children

Show them that there is a future beyond the complicated situation they are in and that the future can be positive. An optimistic and positive attitude allows us to realize the good things in life. It also allows us to keep moving forward, even in the most difficult times.

9. Look for opportunities for self-discovery

Difficult times are usually times of discovery and self-awareness. Children, like adults, then learn more about themselves. Helping our children see that what they are going through can make them understand who they are  to realize their strengths.

10. Acceptance: change is part of life

The changes can often be terrifying for children and teens. Helping our children see that  the world is constantly changing and that this is a part of life is fundamental. We can always replace our goals with other goals or wait another time to achieve them.

About the keys to raising resilient children

As you may have seen, these 10 keys can be of great help to you when it comes to raising resilient children. They will thus be able to surpass themselves and emerge stronger from adverse situations. So what are you waiting for to put them into practice?