Watching children give up too quickly, moaning "I can't can be frustrating for adults. My own mother's reply was always "There's no such word as can't". As a child I never really understood what she meant, but as an adult I can appreciate her sentiments and be thankful to her.
Dr Justin Coulson, author of 9 Ways to a Resilient Child is an Australian parenting expert. The question he most often gets asked is "How can I help my child become more resilient?" So many difficult and challenging situations make it difficult for a child to "bounce back": bullying, friendship problems, physical changes in their bodies, family issues but helping a child to develop resilience can have lifelong positive effects.
9 Ways to a Resilient Child is divided into two parts. In the first, "Misunderstanding Resilience", Dr Justin Coulson exposes six myths:
Myth 1 Young children are resilient
Myth 2 Steeling your children: why "Toughen up, Princess" damages resilience
Myth 3 Is helicopter parenting really ruining resilience?
Myth 4 The dark side of grit, and how being too gritty might reduce resilience
Myth 5 Good praising: why praise is a problem in promoting resilience
Myth 6 Winners are grinners, but what does that make everyone else? How competition undermines resilience
The second part of the book deals with "Building Resilience" covered in, unsurprisingly, nine chapters ranging from self-control to screen time, relationships and parenting styles.
At the end of each chapter in both sections there is a handy "Take-home message" which sums up the advice and gives the reader food for thought.
Published by HarperCollins, 9 Ways to a Resilient Child is an easy and stimulating read. Highly recommended.
PWT rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
9 WAYS TO A RESILIENT CHILD