Emily Chan
As a parent, it’s natural to want to protect your child from anything that might harm or upset them. But in the back of your mind, you know that being overprotective won’t do anything to benefit your child in the long run.
So how do you effectively support them through the pain of things like rejection without shielding them?
Rejection can happen in all stages of life, so it’s essential to teach your child how to handle it properly.
It may arise in the form of not making it onto the soccer team or not being invited to a birthday party. When these types of situations occur, your kid will be left feeling down and wondering why this happened to them.
If you’re not sure what to tell them, here are some guidelines on what to do to help your child learn that rejection is an inevitable part of life.
One thing you can do is validate their feelings and offer them comfort. Don’t try to downplay the situation or tell them to get over it.
Allow them to be disappointed about it for a bit before moving on, and let them know that what they’re feeling is an entirely appropriate response.
You can even tell them that you know exactly how they feel because you’ve been through something similar once upon a time. They’ll feel better knowing they’re not alone.
Another thing you should teach your child is that failure is all part of the learning process. Success and failure come hand in hand. Most people are afraid of failure, including adults.
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