Making mistakes is part of life and of being human. And although this can be difficult to accept, and even painful and/or embarrassing on some occasions, the truth is that making mistakes does not have to be branded as something negative, since it allows us to learn and grow by correcting our mistakes.
Always keep in mind that:
“A person who never made a mistake, never tried anything new.”
-Albert Einstein-
And all this, of course, also applies to children. We reflect on how we can teach our children to learn from their mistakes , leaving pride behind, and the benefits that this entails for their development.
How to teach your children to learn from their mistakes to be better
Learning to accept our own mistakes and assume the consequences of our actions is a subject that we must work on throughout our lives.
And our children can too. In this way, as parents we can help our children to do so with the following recommendations:
be your example
Remember that children learn much more from what they see than from what we tell them. It is important to be consistent and behave according to the way we want them to act.
We must learn to assume our mistakes, without excuses, admit that we have been wrong and correct.
“The main trick to making good mistakes is not to hide them, especially from yourself.”
-Daniel Dennet-
It’s all trial and error
One of the most effective ways for learning is experimentation; Thus, it is important that we allow our children to seek to resolve their conflicts by their own means .
Not only will this help them own up to their mistakes and learn, but it will also make them feel great about achieving their goals.
teach him
Explain that mistakes are part of life and that there is nothing wrong with being wrong sometimes, but that it is very important that we take action when this happens to correct what has happened, learning from our mistake to do it this time much better .
Teach him also not to feel ashamed for being wrong; It is normal to feel disappointment, frustration and even anger at the mistake. They may even feel regret, too, and that’s okay.
But you don’t have to be ashamed , on the contrary; being wrong can be an opportunity. Take advantage of these moments to cultivate your tolerance for frustration.
Work on your self esteem
A child who is secure and confident in himself and his abilities can more easily see the situations that are presented to him as a challenge that he can overcome, understanding that if he makes a mistake he can find another solution.
Thus, it is important that they approach errors in this way; as challenges to improve. And for this, working on your self-esteem is essential.
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When they make mistakes, encourage them to look for other solutions while pointing out the things they’ve done well. This will help improve your self-esteem.
Seek an apprenticeship together
On the other hand, it can be very helpful to seek learning from what happened and discuss it among yourselves, and even ask generating questions such as: “ What did we learn from this?”
“A failure is not always a mistake. It may simply be the best thing to do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying.”
-B. F. Skinner-
This simple act will allow, in turn, to find a “meaning” to what happened, which can also help to integrate complicated experiences.
let him know that you love him
It is very important that our children know that even though they may make mistakes, that will not change how much we love them. Remind him that he has all your unconditional love, regardless of whether he was wrong: in short, that you accept him as he is (and thanks to how he is!).
guide him
When your child makes a mistake, you need to not be overprotective. Let him experience what he feels and try to fix it.
But don’t leave him alone, you can also give him a hand and guide him with love, but without giving him all the answers to his situation.
Educate him to take responsibility
Educate him so that he always takes responsibility for what he does, always remembering that this will not change how much you love him.
Teach him to face situations without running away from them or trying to blame others; Teach him to take responsibility.
“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.”
-Bruce Lee-
Take advantage of resources
Currently there are many books and stories, and even audiovisual material, that address this topic in an entertaining way that is easy to understand for our little ones.
This can be a great way for them to learn about the topic.
Benefits of teaching to learn from mistakes
Teaching our children to learn from their mistakes has great benefits, which go beyond the teaching they may have from the circumstances in which it happened.
In addition to allowing them to acquire more experiences, with this we can achieve that:
- Our children are more independent and capable of resolving conflicts, which allows them to be much more autonomous.
- Strengthen their self-esteem by knowing they are capable of solving situations and recognizing their mistakes, learning more and more.
- Acquire more and better tools to face different situations.
- Your tolerance for frustration is enhanced , learning not to focus on mistakes or failures and focusing all your attention on finding solutions.
“No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow your progress is, you’re still way ahead of those who don’t try.”
-Tony Robbins-
mistakes as part of life
Mistakes are part of life and as such, we must learn to manage them in a positive way, turning them into sources of learning and not just frustration, fear, sadness or anger.
However, it is also okay for our children to feel these emotions , and we should not obsess either that they never experience frustration, or that they should always learn from everything they do, because that would be counterproductive.
On the other hand, our children will learn to face their mistakes in the way they see us doing ourselves, so we need to do a process of introspection to know what example we are giving them and if there is something we can improve.
“Those who don’t make mistakes are making the biggest mistake of all: not trying anything new.”
-Anthony de Mello-
Photos | Cover (Freepik)
