This tip brought to you by our Dad Guru John Valadez
on Jul 30, 2009
Kids are resilient. Mine ask me a question until they get an answer. If they don’t understand the answer then they ask more questions. I love when they ask me questions; it makes for great conversation and I know they are constantly learning – as long as I provide them the correct information. Children are also persistent in all the other areas of their lives too. For instance, I would still be wiping my three year olds bottom if I allowed; after eight months and many, many underwear later she can now wipe herself.
I was firm with her, but extremely fair. Then why did it take eight months?
Taking several attempts to master a skill is not uncommon. It took Einstein decades before he could prove the Theory of Relativity. Edison had nearly a thousand failures before he had a light bulb that actually worked. Michael Jordan, arguably the best basketball player to ever play in the NBA, had a great quote I’d like to share with you.
“I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
It didn’t matter that it took Einstein decades, Edison a thousand attempts or my daughter eight months – they all succeeded. They succeeded because of their patience and commitment. I was firm in assisting and encouraging her she can do it on her own, and fair by acknowledging it was going to take some time. In the end, she triumphed over a difficult challenge.
Take the time and be fair with your child, but firm. They’ll love you for it.
