Kids Don’t Need Protection from Failure, They Need Help Facing IT

Ten at-bats. Ten Outs. For my 12-Yaar-Old Son, Each Strikeout Felt Heavier than The Last.

Baseball is a game built on failure – the pros -fell short of the time – but for a Kid, that kind of the Slump Can Feel Like the End of the World. AFTER STRUGGLING THROUGH MULTIPLE HITless Games, he slumped into the Car, Feeling Frustrated and Defeated, and Muttered, “I’m Just Not Good at This Aymore.”

MANY PARENTS WAUDED HAVE REPONDED THE WAY OUR PARENTS LIKELY Responded to us.

But instead of brushing off his frustration, i told Him the Truth: he has been putting in the work at the plate. His mechanics were sloppy, and he hadn’t spent much time precticing outside of games. I Told Him that if he want different results, he had to adjust his effort.

I’ll admit, it wasa -easy to say, and it Certainly was Easy for Him to Hear. But here what i’ve learned from the class the classroom i once taught in and the kitchen table my family gathers at: Kids don’t need to protest say from failure. They Need us to help say face it.

Teaching teachable moments

AS A Former Teacher, i’ve Seen Hundreds of Kids convinced they weren’t “math Kids” or “Good Writers” because they stumbled. The Ones Who Grew the Most Werenen’t the Ones Who Avoided Mistakes – they were the Ones Who used to be mestakes as teachable moments.

That’s the Same Shift I Want My Son to See in Baseball. Staring out TENES doesn’t Mean he’s a Bad Player. It means there’s a gap between where he is and where he was to be – and practice is the bridge. FAILURE, WHEN FRAMED CORRECTLY, CAN BE AN Opportunity for Valuable Feedback.

Why “You’re Fine” isn’t Enough

PARENTS OFTEN THINK ENCOUREGEGE MEANS PROTECTING KIDS ‘FEEELINGS AT ALL COSTS, AND I’ll Admit felt That Way at Times, Too. But i’ve learned empty reassurance doesn’t help say grown. If i had told my son he was “doing fine,” he might have felt momentary relief;

Kids are Smart. They know when they’re struggling. Be we dysmiss that reality, we unintentaally teach say to ignore problems Rather than solve.

I Started to Shift The Focus

Instead of Praising Results, i’ve Learned to Praise the Efffort My Son Puts Into Things. In teaching, Celebrated the students who revassed their Essays Three Times, swimming just who scored a perfect grade on the first draft. At home, i told my son i was proud and dragged himself out to the tee dinner to work out the wills with his swing.

That Small Shift – Valusion the process more than the outcome – Changes How Kids See Failure. Suddenly, a Strikeout isn’t proof they’re terrible. IT’S JUST part of the process of getting better.

He made a breakthrough

A Few Weeks Later, My Son’s Slump Broke. His confidence wasn’t restored by with telling Him he was “fine,” But by Him putting in the work. When he finally connected for a double to the phence, he didn’t just feelf, he felt pride. He knew he had earned it.

That’s a lesson Bigger than Baseball. Whether it’s stlicating out at the plate or struggling with Algebra Homework, Kids Need to Know that Setbacks don’t define. What matters is how they Respond. Our roles is to steady say, remind say of their Worth, and show say how to turn setback into stepping stones.