How to Teach Your Child Not to Give Up
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Of course, at times it can be difficult to encourage your child not to give up, especially when the going gets tough. Some kids give up easily-crying, having temper tantrums, or refusing to continue with the activity. Nonetheless, it is especially important to help a child exhibiting these behaviors by encouraging him to try to succeed a little more each time. If you give in to your child's crying or tantrums, thereby allowing him to give up, you give him the clear message that you don't think he can succeed. If he thinks you don't believe in him, he is much less likely to believe in his own success. However, if you show your child that you won't give in to his negative response and that you will continue to encourage him, despite the possibility of (further) failure, you teach him the powerful lesson that not only do you believe he will ultimately succeed, but that he needs to believe in his own success as well.
With each situation in which your child pushes past the point of frustration and achieves a new accomplishment or learns a new skill, she will feel a great sense of pride, recognizing that each temporary defeat brings her one step closer to success...I won't give up on myself!
Dr. Susan Bartell is a family psychologist. Her latest book is "Dr. Susan's Fit and Fun Family Action Plan." You can learn more about her on her website at www.drsusanbartell.com.
