As a new therapist I often suggested to parents that they read a book on parenting. Usually their eyes would start to glaze over and a kind of desperate, panicky look would spread across their faces as they groaned and said, “Oh, Anne, there’s just no way!” “We don’t have time.” “We already have a stack of books that we haven’t read.”
You get the picture. And it’s true.
Parents today are incredibly busy and are pulled in so many directions.
Most parents I work with are doing what they know how to do and truly want what is best for their children, but they simply don’t have the time or energy to read a book, or to learn an entirely new parenting model, let alone to completely change the way they parent.
So what’s a parent to do?
At Resilient Child you will find another way.
Instead of academic explanations you will find things laid out simply and understandably in everyday language. You will find funny, moving, and inspiring SHORT stories that illustrate key ideas, and you will find simple steps to help you make small changes today which can add up to big differences in a child’s life.
Extensive research has shown that developing the resiliency skills we focus on in the website can prepare children to work through and overcome whatever they face. We never really know what will come into a child’s life, so rather than responding to each new challenge, we focus on helping you help your child develop the resiliency skills that will serve them as they cope with whatever comes their way. We have chosen to focus on twelve skills that can help you help your children. There are many other valuable and important skills and we will continue to expand our focus over time.
Resiliency isn’t something you either just have or don’t have.
It comes from developing skills. Just as some people may be more naturally athletic or musical or good with numbers, some people may have more natural talent for one resiliency skill or another. Even in areas that are more difficult for us, with a little practice and instruction we can make progress. Having a guide is kind of like having a coach or a teacher to help us avoid some known pitfalls and practice more effectively. We all have our strengths and can move forward from where we are.
We hope you come back to the website often. You can read a little bit here, and a little bit there, when you can. Pick a resiliency skill area that you feel drawn to at this time. At first there may or may not be any big breakthroughs, but over time you will start to see how little steps can take you where you want to go.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
– Winston Churchill
