Our thoughts and thinking are immensley powerful and form our beliefs about ourselves, capabilities and how we see our world. What we think and see creates our reality.
Ever heard your child say ‘I can’t do this’ ‘I will never get this’ ‘this is too hard’ ‘I’m just not as smart as …’ Or do you see your child withdraw or avoid certain activities or tasks? Fear of failure or feeling exposed in front of others affects both children and adults.
Adopting a ‘growth mindset’ (concept developed by Carol Dweck) allows you to shift your thinking and your childs to embrace new experiences, challenges and the ability to develop and grow. We as parents can instil the belief that our child has the ability to grow and fulfil their true potential. Whatever we are born with is just a starting point and our potential is unknown. Cultivating a growth mindset during childhood will help us build a healthy relationship with success and failure and ultimately our capacity for happiness.
Next time you hear your child give up or withdraw try inserting a ‘yet’ on the end of their ‘I can’t do factions … yet’. By doing this you are instilling belief in your child that it is possible in the future with more time and practice to achieve.
As parents, the ‘mindset’ we promote and model directly impacts our children, so really does matter.