October 17, 2020

Quote of the Week

"When we learn how to become resilient, we learn to embrace the beautifully broad spectrum of the human experience." -- Jaeda Dewalt

How To Help Children Build Resilience In Uncertain Times

"As parents, we want to protect our children from witnessing the fear and uncertainty brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. We wish we could take away the disruption to their education, activities and relationships. And, we wish they were not exposed to suffering.

We cannot control these circumstances, but we can work to strengthen our relationships during this time while building our children's resilience. We can remember to say what so many of our grandparents said to us: “This too shall pass, and you'll get through this with me by your side."​ The best way to protect our children is to shape the lessons gained during this difficult time. We do so best when we intentionally manage​​ our own feelings and experiences with an eye toward helping them build resilience." ​

This week's featured article highlights some of the feelings many of us are experiencing and encourages us, as grown-ups, to model and teach lifelong resilience skills. [Read Article]

For those who would prefer a more detailed read, the author has kindly offered a free PDF of this chapter in his book, which elaborates on each feeling in depth and how we, as grown-ups, can address it and support our children.​

Reading Corner

Title: Building Resilience in Children and Teens
By: Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, MS Ed, FAAP
Stage: Any

Why?  "When my kids were younger, I was one of those parents who bought just about every parenting book there was, starting with What to Expect While You're Expecting and several a year after that. As they got older I felt I knew a lot more so didn't read many. Now they're 12 and 15 and this is one of the first parenting books I've read in a couple of years. Worth the wait.

This really is a good book for the parents of tweens and teens. The author gives specific advice based on age group, so he's not telling you to do things the same for an 8 year old that he would for a 16 year old. Although the focus is on resilience, it's also really helped my relationship with my 15 year-old as well. I never realized how much I "lectured" until I read this book, but now I know what to do instead and it really has changed how I communicate with my daughters in a positive way. My 15 year-old has actually started having conversations with me instead of giving me one word answers! Great book, but don't wait til your kids are tweens or teens to read it!" - Amazon Reviewer

Be the Change

Make a conscious effort to model resilience when an opportunity presents itself around your children this week.  Reflect on how they responded and how you felt afterwards.