How to help your child cope with failure
Learning to walk, failing a test, and not making the soccer team are just some of the failures children may have to deal with in life. So if children are not taught how to handle failure well, this may leave them feeling depressed or be the reason they never try out new things in life ever again.
So it is important for parents to teach children how to deal with failure. Below are some of the things you can do to help your child deal with failure:
Let your child know failing at one task does not make them a failure
The truth is that none of us are born perfect. While trying to learn new things, we may come across disappointments and failures. Let your child know that failing one task does not make them a failure in general. Giving up and never trying again is what makes one a failure.
‘Winners never quit’
Vince Lombardi once said: “Winners never quit and quitters never win." Make your child understand that some of the best inventions were completed after multiple tries. Them choosing not to quit is what will make them a winner in the end.
Failing is an opportunity to learn how to improve
There’s a saying ‘practice makes perfect’. The more you do something, the better you become at it, because you are now aware of the challenges that may arise and how you need to deal with them. Encourage your child to keep going.
Help them identify their talent
It is also important for you to train your child to know their own strengths and how to excel in what they are good at. Not all of us were created to be great soccer players, but all of us were created with a special gift that we can excel at. Let your child find their talent and encourage them to excel in it. This will go a long way in making them feel like achievers.
Praise them for the good they have done
Praise goes a long way! Like Maria Bamford once said: "It's always the compliments from people you love that mean so much." Complimenting your child will boost their self-esteem and encourage them to feel like someone who is good at something. So encourage them to try again and compliment them for every achievement they reach - no matter how small.