Fostering Optimism To Raise Capable Children
As parents, our job is not just about providing children with food, safety and care. We also have to form them in values and help them acquire the tools so that they can develop in life. Without a doubt, optimism is one of the most necessary and forgotten skills in children’s education.
We often consider this value as something secondary, of little importance. We associate optimism with the typical motivational phrases, such as: “believe in yourself” or “fight for your dreams” . However, the psychological implications of this concept go far beyond and can help children to have a happier and more successful existence.
Optimism as the basis for resilience
Resilience is the most important human capacity to deal with adversities, overcome them and even be strengthened by them. Since all people will, sooner or later, go through hardship, having this ability can save us a lot of suffering in our lives.
From losing an exam to being betrayed by a friendship or having to face separation or loss, all of these everyday situations can generate high levels of discomfort for those who don’t have the emotional tools to deal with them. So, striving to help our children develop resilience is a task we all must do.
However, this capacity is associated with other values that we must promote to build it. Of all of them, optimism can be a good starting point because it is strongly related to others. That is, if we instill an optimistic attitude in children, we will also bring them closer to other important skills.
What is optimism?
Optimism is the tendency to find positive and favorable aspects in every situation. In this way, the person can face obstacles with willingness and perseverance, aware of what works and working to improve what is not so beneficial.
Optimistic people have numerous advantages in their daily lives. They generally maintain hope and have better self-esteem and a stronger immune system. In addition, they perform more successful actions and are more active in the face of difficulties, adopting the necessary measures to have an emotional support network.
On the contrary, pessimistic people have low self-esteem, lose hope and give up more easily. In the face of adversity, they usually get depressed, stop acting and see their health more compromised. Also, they often experience feelings of anger more often.
Therefore, optimism goes far beyond a naive bias or motivational phrase. It is an excellent psychological resource for relying on your own abilities to succeed and overcome difficulties. So while it’s sometimes tempting to focus more on intellectual education, emotional education shouldn’t be left out.
How to educate capable children?
Optimism is essential to be able to face life with confidence and autonomy. Therefore, it is important to follow some guidelines to instill it in the little ones:
- Set an example: be a role model for an active and persevering attitude. Let your child observe your positive, confident, and hopeful attitude in the face of adversity and learn from it.
- Conveying the value of gratitude. Giving thanks for all the good that surrounds us helps us to always keep in mind that we are lucky and can hope for the best.
- When facing a difficulty, guide the child to find the positive aspects and possible solutions. Encourage her to act, rather than being stuck in passivity and suffering.
- Reinforce your achievements and reward your effort. It is essential that optimism provide us with a sense of internal control. It is not very useful to believe that positive situations occur by chance or by chance. Help her see that she has the ability to influence her circumstances, that your actions can lead her to improve and achieve success, and that she is capable of doing this if she wants to.
- Love her and show your love. Feeling loved will promote your self-esteem, positive self-image and self-confidence. Also, having unconditional support could be the safety net she needs to go out and explore the world without fear.
