CREATIVE HIGHLIGHT
Commit . Whether its soccer , ballet , or acapella , have your child finish the season or term once they ’ ve enrolled or started something . They may hate it , in which case it may be torturous to watch . But it ’ s a good opportunity to teach them grit . Subjecting them to something they hate repeatedly may not be great for their confidence . But making them stick it out for the season will teach them about commitment . It also shows kids that mommy and daddy won ’ t bail them out at the first onset of discomfort or boredom . And once the season is over , even if they never enroll in the same sport or activity again , celebrate their completion as a way to praise the effort and not the result .
Help discover and nurture their passion . One of the characteristics of “ gritty ” people , the Duckworth Lab discovered , is they are “ especially motivated to seek happiness through focused engagement and a sense of meaning or purpose .” In other words , one of the necessary requisites for cultivating long-term grit is passion . It may be years or decades before your child discovers his own . And putting too much pressure to find a passion can be counter-productive . But continuously piquing your child ’ s curiosity and exposing them to what they like and excel in is a great way to help your child discover his own passion .
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