Mistakes - The Way To Learn

We all make mistakes. We have to, because they show us what we need to improve and what not to do! They are our best teachers, and they’re the best way to learn, yet we will often avoid situations in which we might make mistakes.

If our kids are learning, growing, and trying new things, they will make mistakes, and we can expect it. Kids don't enjoy making mistakes, but they're usually doing the best they can. How you deal with this is crucial to how kids view their mistakes. You can either react with "how could you have done that", or "what's the matter with you?", or not react, and accept that they're doing their best. Kids who think they will be punished or that their parents won't love them when they make a mistake learn to hide their mistakes, feel unworthy, and as a result aim to avoid mistakes in the future.

Accept their mistakes as a path to learning and growing, and help them to accept their mistakes and rather to ask themselves "how can I learn from this?"

Albert Einstein said “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new".

Just as importantly, as a parent, admit your own mistakes! Kids love it when their parents are wrong! But more importantly it shows you're human and that anyone, not just they, can make mistakes. If something's worth doing, it's worth doing poorly .... at first, because the only way you'll learn how to do anything well is to start from where you are, even if it means you don't do it too well at first. That's the whole idea.

We all make mistakes. We have to, because they show us what we need to improve and what not to do! They are our best teachers, and they’re the best way to learn. If our kids are learning, growing, and trying new things, they will make mistakes. It's how we teach them to view their mistakes which is powerful to their development and learning.

A parent herself, Rita Offen is author of 'The Chilled Parent' (Effective Parenting, Peacefully and Powerfully) - the perfect antidote to all parenting advice, a return to real, imperfect, guilt-free parenting. http://www.chilledparent.com

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