Perseverance can be defined as the steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. (dictionary.com). Teaching your children to never give up, to finish what they start and always follow through enourages commitment and perseverance. I think this is so important.
If I were to think of situations where children may not show or understand perseverance it would be like this;
- start a task, but not finish because they chose not to.
- begin a task and give up because they don’t think they can do it.
- not take on a task at all because they don’t think they can do it.
- commit to an event or task, and not follow through because they chose not to.
Adults do this too. And when they do it they are “flakey” or “untrustworthy” or “lazy”. But would you say any of those things about a child?
In each situation above, think about how you could change your chillds course of action. I think the biggest thing is positive feedback and constructive criticism. I like how Dad of Divas says you can do this by applauding their efforts, giving honest feedback, by identifying obstacles and working through them, and by being able to bounce back.
Dad of divas elaborates a bit further on each, and it is definitely worth checking out (by clicking the orange link below).
One more thing of course is setting a great example. If you promise your child something, follow through. If you have consequences for your childs certain behaviours, follow through.
How do you at home encourage your child(ren) persistence and commitment? Do you think perseverance is an important characteristic for your child to have?
Have a great day everyone!
Day 28: Teaching Perseverance
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