Tips for Raising Brave Kids

Introduction

A brave child is not one who does not experience fear but one who bravely faces their fears. Brave children experience mild to moderate fear in certain situations, such as the first day at school or meeting new people. However, the anxiety and stress that they may feel can sometimes lead to other problems like crying and tantrums. Parents should encourage brave behaviour to help their children grow up brave throughout the day.

 

2 Tips On Raising Brave Children

Parents can help brave children brave their fears through various ways:

1) Give time for your brave child to adapt to changes

Parents should understand that it is normal for courageous kids to feel overwhelmed when faced with difficult or unchanging situations because it is difficult for them to adjust quickly. They also need to process how they feel about these changes so show understanding by giving them ample time to adapt before asking them what is wrong.

2) Give brave children a sense of autonomy and independence

Parents should encourage brave children to try new and challenging things by giving them more opportunities. Showing brave children that they have the ability, confidence, and self-efficacy will allow them to have a growth mindset about their capabilities in future endeavours. In addition, parents should provide brave children with choices but not force or coerce brave children into doing something they do not want to do. This allows courageous kids to feel empowered while maintaining their sense of autonomy and independence.

3) Encourage brave behaviour throughout the day through praise

Praising courageous behaviour encourages brave behaviours in the future because it provides positive attention for brave actions, which reinforces letting go of fear. Parents can also encourage brave behaviour through modelling courageous actions themselves, as courageous kids are more likely to mimic brave behaviours they have seen modelled by their parents.

4) Provide brave children with choices

Choices allow brave children to feel empowered while maintaining their sense of autonomy and independence. Although courageous kids are not asked to make many choices in life because brave people choose to take action instead of avoiding things out of fear, giving them one choice provides them with the opportunity to bolster their confidence. By allowing brave children to make decisions sometimes, parents empower them to become more independent decision-makers down the road.

5) Help brave children prepare for challenging situations through visualization

Before brave children face a situation that makes them afraid, it is important to prepare them by asking brave children to visualize the situation as frequently as possible. Imagining a problematic situation makes brave children feel prepared and confident about facing these situations head-on. Parents can even encourage brave children to visualize difficult situations as part of their bedtime routine, as visualization usually works best for courageous kids when they are relaxed and calm before going to sleep at night.

6) Support brave children’s fears instead of dismissing them

When courageous kids express fear about a given situation, parents should support the child by listening carefully and acknowledging their feelings. Even though brave people tend to deal with fear themselves, courageous kids must learn from an early age that their feelings matter because this will help them become assertive later on in life.

7) Role-play brave children in challenging situations

Courageous kids not only need support and encouragement when dealing with complex and scary situations, but it also helps to role-play brave characters in these situations, either by reading books about brave characters or watching heroic stories on TV.

8) Recognize brave behaviours

Even though brave behaviour is usually very subtle in frightening situations, such as taking a deep breath before entering your child’s school on their first day, parents can learn to recognize the subtle ways that courageous kids deal with fear.

9) Teach brave children problem-solving skills

When faced with fears, courageous kids will not be able to overcome their fears if they do not know how they can solve them. Therefore, parents should teach them problem-solving skills and encourage them to think before acting bravely.

10) Encourage brave children to talk about their fears

When brave behaviours are activated, Parents should encourage courageous kids to think and use ideas when they feel like they are about to act bravely in situations that make them afraid. This will only work if parents allow them the time they need before rushing in or talking about solving problems related to their fear.

11) Allow brave children to go through the motions

Parents should allow courageous kids to express their sadness and fears without making them feel bad about it. This will help them learn how to deal with emotions before acting bravely. Parents who are willing to take time should encourage brave kids to eventually overcome their fear if they try hard enough and will be good at facing fears bravely. If parents do not allow courageous kids to go through this process, they will hesitate in facing dangers when feeling fear which can result in more serious problems or even death in some circumstances.

12) Offer other alternatives

Facing fears bravely is only effective if viable options are available for brave kids. Therefore, parents should offer courageous kids another safer option where they can be safe while still having fun. For instance, brave kids should be allowed to act bravely in safer environments, such as at home or within limits that they are comfortable with.

Conclusion

By encouraging brave kids and helping them practice brave behaviours in safe environments, parents will help courageous kids face their fears bravely. Parents should encourage brave behaviour through encouragement and patience. They should introduce courageous kids to other forms of bravery, such as being brave at home or within limits that they are comfortable with. Parents should not force brave behaviour but ensure that there are alternatives available for children who do not want to behave bravely so that courageous kids have the option to choose the safe way out of a particular situation.

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