Risk Taking & Reflection
My kid has always been a brave climber. She takes measured risks like many first borns, but risks none the less. This summer, she and a friend were climbing down a huge hill in the Brickworks when she fell and slid down the hill. The fall upset her and the road rash that ran down her leg did too! I have to say I was kind of surprised the next time we hiked and she did not want to take any risks at all. We talked for a while about her feelings and about everything she knows about Growth Mindset. It was a great talk, but nonetheless that day, she decided she wasn’t ready to take a risk that might lead to another fall.
A few weeks later we went to hike at a favourite stretch of the Don Valley Trail, near the rainbow tunnel. We had 2 friends along. The girls started to climb together but then Kara got really scared and froze. I tried to coach her from the bottom and was just about to climb up when one of the other kids took over. She said things like “You’ve got this!” and “Let me help you with strategies!” This was so heartwarming to see. Eventually, she took the risk and reached the top. There were tears and self-doubt along the way but she did it! And when she came down, there were big hugs and time to reflect about what happened. I was really touched when we all started to walk again on the path and Kara went back to take this picture of the site of her struggles. And why not? She learned a lot about herself and probably life there! And so did I.
If you would like to learn more about growth mindset and how to support your child with positive self-talk, risk taking and realistic optimism, please contact me.