One of the hardest but most important things to learn as a parent is when to teach your children lessons the hard way. No one enjoys watching the people they love to experience the hardships and heartbreaks in life. But life isn’t always easy. We all know that there will come a point in everyone’s experience where things don’t go as planned, and the only way to get through it is with courage and a mature perspective. But there is no class you can take that teaches you how to handle the hard parts of life with grace––only life experience can teach you that. This is why it’s important to learn lessons the hard way.
Instead, the best and most effective thing you can do to help your children learn is to teach by example. Next time life throws you a curveball, teach your children how to handle hardships with grace by leading by example. Hold your head high and face whatever it is the same kind of courage you want your kids to take note of. Although they are young, kids notice more than what we give them credit for, and if you teach by example they are much more likely to incorporate the habits they learn from you into their own life.
But how are you supposed to just stand by and watch your kids learn lessons the hard way when every ounce of your being is telling you to swing in, hold their hand, and walk them through it every step of the way? It’s no easy task, but you have to remember that when you don’t intervene you’re helping them learn by letting them learn. They may experience some hurt feelings along the way, but these hurt feelings are temporary. The lessons they will learn by overcoming them will last a lifetime.
So that’s why it’s so important to let your children make their own mistakes and learn life’s lessons the hard way. It’s never an easy thing to do, but you have to ask yourself if you would rather your kids going through life with naivety and innocence or with the boldness and audacity to overcome adversity. The truth is if you never let your kids learn lessons the hard way, they’ll never learn how to overcome hardships on their own.
