Why teach our kids grit? Because studies show that gritty people are emotionally healthier and likely to do better in life by every metric imaginable. Teaching grit starts with tough love. And believe it or not, tough love really isn’t an oxymoron here. We can be tough and demanding as well as loving and supportive all at the same time with our kids.

Next, we parents need to remember the old famous African proverb that it takes a village to raise a child. We don’t have to do all the grit teaching on our own. As a matter of fact, it would be wise to get our kids involved in extracurricular activities where other adults, who are by nature more objective than we are, can push our children a little bit more than we do. Extracurricular activities are one of the best ways to teach our kids grit. They combine the best approaches of structure and fun with their friends while giving them a choice and at the same time builds internal motivation that has a chance to endure and grow into some grit.

Finally parents, please remember that it’s a child’s natural inclination to copy what they see their parents doing. So, let’s make sure that we are practicing a little grit of our own. Heck, if we practice enough grit of our own, then we too will benefit from it by becoming a high standing person of great character who is in all likelihood very successful. Furthermore, we’ll then receive the ultimate compliment when our own children move beyond the imitation stage and up on to a higher plane where they emulate us and our productive, kind, respectful, loving, supportive and gritty behaviors.

Now, as my Granddaddy always said, “Go learn, lead, and lay the way to a better world for all of us.” We can teach our kids grit. And with a little more grit, our kids can learn to leave this world a little better place then they found it, too. And once again parents, thanks in advance for all that you do, and all that you will do…