Taking the Advanced Course

Frances's new daycare sent home a helpful note about resiliency, and how to cultivate it in children:

Resiliency has been defined as the "ability to persevere and adapt when things go awry." It is also the ability to deal with stressful situations and be accepting to new challenges. ... "Resiliency thinking skills can be absorbed by children starting from a very early age. Children as young as two years old can mimic the thinking style of the adults around them. Resiliency thinking skills can promote development of strategies that can help children bounce back from life's inevitable pressures and prevent them from developing life views that can lead to depression."

I'd say Frances could use some resiliency thinking skills, all things considered, wouldn't you agree?

During your child's daily interaction with other children, they may encounter challenges that trigger a multitude of emotions. Conflicts as common as sharing can be very stressful for children to deal with. A change in their regular routine is another challenge that creates stress in childhood. Supporting children to identify their emotions and control their impulses are foundational resiliency abilities and a cornerstone to developing resilient thinking habits.

Sharing is a tough one.

At this time of year many children are facing the stressful challenges of changes to their regular routines; starting school, new teachers, new child care centre, etc.

Sure. And watching your Mom and Dad split up, moving, getting used to a new neighbourhood, getting used to living in an apartment after you've spent your whole life in houses, losing all your old daycare friends, your old neighbour friends, hardly seeing your Dad anymore. Lots of changes to one's regular routine.

How can we help children become more resilient?

Don't ask me. Frances just does it.

All this. All this. Such a heavy load to carry for someone much much older than she is. Three years old, and she just does it. Still greets every day with an "oh boy!"; still skips and jumps for joy all day long. Still rushes to embrace new people as close friends, even though she knows what it means to lose them. No temper tantrums, no regression, no nightmares, no crying fits.

I think the school board should hire Frances on to teach everyone else how to be resilient, adults included.

She doesn't just persevere and adapt when things go awry. She keeps joy tightly clenched in both fists. She keeps smiling.

She doesn't just bounce back from life's inevitable pressures.

She just bounces.

Posted by Andrea at September 2, 2007 6:38 AM under Beanie Baby Brags

EMAIL this entry

(comments fields are below this section)