The Value of Challenges

Carol Dweck, Ph.D., author of Mindset (a highly recommended read) offers this quote:

“If parents want to give their children a gift, 

the best thing they can do is to teach their 

children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning.  

That way, their children don’t have to be slaves 

of praise.  They will have a lifelong way to 

build and repair their own confidence.”

~Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.

We live in an age when it seems children often receive false praise because that is the "nice" thing to do.  According to Carol Dweck, Ph.D., this is a gross mis-representation of real- life experiences as an adult. 

Of course we want to build the self-esteem of our children, but in the rush to do so we zoom past the more critical learning process that cultivates problem-solving skills and a core foundation of working hard to achieve our goals.  Most of life’s goals are not easily accomplished.

I've never known a musician who played perfectly from the beginning of their musical career.  Making mistakes is an inevitable reality. 

By teaching children how to put forth a true sense of effort

we can raise up a generation of smart, capable individuals who are able to reason out perplexing problems, embrace challenges and navigate difficult places in life. 

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Carolyn Biggs

Steps and Skips

Tips for the Developing Student