With the school cross country coming up, I thought it would be a great time to reflect on the important life skill of resilience.

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from stress, failure, adversity, or challenges. If given the chance, resilience is a skill that children develop as they grow. Having resilience helps kids navigate stressful situations and with the right skills, they have what it takes to confront difficult obstacles.

Despite our best efforts, we can’t protect our kids from obstacles. It’s easy to jump in and try to help our kids solve problems so they avoid dealing with discomfort, but this can weaken resilience. At times we may have to stand back and allow them to problem-solve independently, as the more they can bounce back on their own, the more confident they become at knowing that they can solve their own problems.

Embrace failure and mistakes. Kids need this to learn the skills of how to work through problems and develop a growth mindset. School cross country may be a stressful and difficult time for some children but also remember that facing your fears head-on can result in even greater satisfaction.