The Quiet Way to Raise Tough Kids
I might get some pushback on this,
BUT from as early on as reasonable, when our kids fall down, we don’t rush right in and grab pick them up.
It goes against every instinct as a parent, but we wait just a sec.
If you rush in, they react based on YOUR reaction. If YOU make a big deal about it, so will they.
But if you play it cool, pause to see the damage and let them know that they’re strong and will be ok— then that’s the language they will be telling themselves when you’re not there.
This JUST happened at school pick up today with my 4yo. Full on sprint, tripped and slid. Such a good fall! I was standing there holding my 1yo and watched it happen.
All the parents around reacted super big. One mom jumped into help (as any good person would) and tried to pick her up.
She popped up super quick and looked at me. I nodded and asked “you good?” She nodded back and went on her way.
This is much easier to say than do, but it’s not just training them for falls as a kid—
it’s training them for dealing with the “falls in real life” and the ability to not let the “pain” of the situation control their ability to get up and dust themselves off.