How to Raise an Optimistic Child.

A negative mindset is unproductive and something that parents should help their children to avoid. Optimism, on the other hand, is valuable because it allows young people to feel confident and motivated, and as a result, they are in a better position to deal with any challenges. In turn, an optimistic outlook helps children to perform well in school and in their personal endeavours. Here’s some advice from an independent girls’ school in London to help you raise an optimistic child. 

If your child is fairly negative, it would help for you to find out where this negativity is coming from. Talk to them privately about why they’re feeling a certain way (they may not feel comfortable opening up if your conversation is in front of siblings and other people) and ask them why they’re so sure a situation will turn out a certain way. Remind them that there’s nothing wrong with expecting the best, as opposed to the worst. 

Generally, you should try and promote a can-do attitude within your family unit and encourage gratitude and resilience. Ask your child each evening to tell you something positive that happened that day, or something they are grateful for or excited about. Teach them that in every situation, there are always positives and negatives and it’s always better to focus on the former. 

Don’t be hard on your child if something goes wrong. Instead, remind them that they are only human and all of us make mistakes. Perhaps you could share an anecdote of something similar that happened to you and how you were able to overcome it. Teach your child that the trick is to learn from setbacks and develop the necessary skills to conquer these types of issues if they happen again in the future.

Talk about their future ambitions with your child and support them, even if their hopes and dreams seem a little farfetched. Your child will really benefit from knowing that you have their back, and you believe in their abilities. Remind them regularly that you are there to support them through anything.

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