How to Raise an Optimistic Child

Being a child isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, there are unfamiliar obstacles to tackle and important life lessons to be learnt on their journey through to adulthood. Giving your child the tools to navigate their youth with a positive mental outlook will help them to take challenges in their stride and keep their head up when the going gets tough. Take a look at the following tips from an independent school in Hertfordshire, and help teach your child how to live their lives with a little more optimism.

Challenge Pessimism

Pay attention to the language your child uses when describing their day to day lives. If they seem to be leaning towards a lot of negative words and phrases, or critical self-talk, make sure you challenge this attitude. Be careful not to dismiss your child’s feelings, as it’s important to make them feel validated. Instead, follow up their complaints by introducing a more positive angle to view things from and try and help them find the silver lining in every scenario.

Check Yourself

It’s important to set an example for your children by demonstrating optimism around them. We often don’t realise the number of negative things we say in front of our children, and this can encourage them to think more pessimistically. Try to be more self-aware and minimise the complaints aired in earshot of your children. If you do catch yourself in the midst of a negative rant, try to balance this out by saying something such as “I feel better for getting that off my chest”, and then demonstrate finding solutions to the problem at hand.

Teach Them About Emotions

Optimism is not the absence of “negative” emotions. Optimists still feel sadness, they still get angry, they get lonely and frightened. However, optimists do not wallow in their feelings and are able to seek out glimmers of hope in tough times. Helping your child to understand their emotions can make them feel more manageable and teaching them that everyone else feels the range of emotions they do will assure them that they are not alone. When your child is dealing with something difficult, assure them that it’s ok to feel however they are feeling, and remind them that all things are temporary, and things will get better. This will help children become more resilient and teach them how to weather the storm when times are tough.

This is a collaborative post.