The Importance of Discovery

It's so easy to go through life making sure that life is "easy" for kids. A natural response as a parent is to do things for our kids and over compensate to ensure success for our kids. Isn't it during the times that we've made mistakes or failed at something that we've learned the most? Isn't it the times when we face challenges and work through them that we become a stronger, wiser person? Sure, it's absolutely important to get our kids to a point where they feel succesful, that their competence is built, but then it's time to make them think a bit (with some nice guided participation by a parent of course).

Think about your child. Are you making sure there are opportunities for discovery throughout the day? What happens if you let him try to crack the egg on his own? I bet he'll eventually figure out how hard it needs to be hit to crack it appropriately. How about letting her pour the laundry detergent into the measuring cup? Will it matter too much if there's a little extra soap in the laundry machine? How about moving something that has been in the same spot for a long time? Just because the trashcan isn't where it was, doesn't mean that it doesn't exsist - an important discovery to make isn't it? Think about some things you can do this week that will stretch your child or children. These discoveries is what will help him cope through the bigger challenges in life. Building memories of success during trying times is critical for anybody to have. This is what develops perseverence. There are several articles written about people who persevered through challenges and as a result have done great things - think about electricity, flying etc.. These weren't created through getting things right the first time, no they were created through a lot of failure!

Here's a great quote by Adrian Savage in his article How fear of failure destroys succes:
"Trial and error are usually the prime means of solving life’s problems. Yet many people are afraid to undertake the trial because they’re too afraid of experiencing the error. They make the mistake of believing that all error is wrong and harmful, when most of it is both helpful and necessary. Error provides the feedback that points the way to success. Only error pushes people to put together a new and better trial, leading through yet more errors and trials until they can ultimately find a viable and creative solution. To meet with an error is not to fail, but to take one more step on the path to final success. No errors means no successes either."

What challenges are you going to present this week?
Michelle