How to encourage children to never give up?
Photo by Eren Li
You can’t expect your children to keep trying if you don’t show them that you’re willing to keep trying. It isn’t easy raising teenagers, and today’s teens are more than willing to remind their parents of every chance they get. This doesn’t mean that you need to give up on your kids. Instead, you need to know how to encourage them never to give up.
Here are some helpful ways to do that.
Be there
It’s sad but true that children have a stronger emotional connection with their parents than their parents do with their children. This can be especially true if your child is going through a difficult time. If this is the case, you should seize the opportunity to connect with your child in a more meaningful way.
Keep in touch with them regularly by phone, email, in-person visits, or other methods. You don’t need to talk about the latest news headlines or solve every problem your teen is facing, but you need to be there for them. This can encourage your teen to feel like they can come to you for advice and support during difficult times.
Make staying motivated a family activity
This might seem like a really obvious thing to do, but the truth is that most families don’t do this enough. When you actively engage with your child in their chosen goal, you encourage them to persevere. You’re showing them that they’re worth it, helping them keep their enthusiasm up.
The best way to do this is to engage in your child’s goal actively. This might mean helping your child with their project, encouraging them to keep practicing a sport, reading picture books about perseverance together, or simply spending time in that activity together.
Set expectations
Children are impressionable, and they will notice you and your behavior. If they see that you don’t expect much from yourself or your family members, they might feel discouraged. So, set expectations for yourself and your family members.
If you expect to complete your chores or get ready for work on time, then so should your children. They will respect you more and feel more motivated to do their chores or get prepared for school on time if they see you setting the right expectations.
Be clear and honest
Adults tend to “play dumb” when talking to our kids. You want to be “cool” and act like you don’t notice or understand what they are saying. This is a big mistake because it can give a child the wrong impression about how to communicate with their parents.
Instead, be transparent and honest with your children. Let them know what you know, what you don’t know, and what you aren’t comfortable talking about. Let children know that you are willing to help them find answers to their questions and problems if they are willing to take the time to come to you.
Take risks
There’s no shame in admitting that you aren’t perfect. Your children will respect you more for it and be more likely to follow your example if you admit that you struggle with certain things. This includes acknowledging that you’re trying new things or taking risks.
They will feel more supported if you are willing to try new ways of parenting that you feel aren’t effective. Children want to see their parents embrace their shortcomings. This helps them feel like they aren’t alone in their struggles and are capable of overcoming them.
Thank them
As you are encouraging your children to never give up, don’t forget to thank them too. You can acknowledge their hard work, good behavior, or even their perseverance during a challenge. You don’t have to pat yourself on the back to accomplish everything perfectly or let your teen know that they are bad and need to change.
Instead, thank your children and let them know that they have a supportive, caring parent who is always there. This will encourage them to never give up on you, even when they don’t want to.
Help break bad habits
Let your children know if you have a bad habit that you’d like to break, such as swearing at your kids or being physically abusive. This will help your children feel like they are helping you break your bad habits and encourage them to never give up on you.
Set small, achievable goals for your child
Another way to encourage your child never to give up is to set small, achievable goals. Not only does this help your child focus their energy on accomplishing something, but it also gives them a concrete end-point to aim for.
But remember that this goal should be something that you and your child can easily visualize.
Wrapping up
There’s no need to get disheartened if your children don’t seem to appreciate your encouragement or are unwilling to try new things. These are very challenging times for children, and you can’t expect them to keep up with you if you aren’t willing to keep up with them. The article above offers some helpful tips on encouraging your teen never to give up. You can use these tips to help encourage your child to never give up on his dreams and goals.