By Sarah Chana Radcliffe
Naturally you don't want your child to have to deal with pain... Experiencing life challenges helps your child become resilient. As she successfully negotiates difficulty, disappointment, loss, frustration, fear and other unpleasant states, she actually builds her capacity to survive in the harsh terrain we call life. She gets better at bouncing back. She learns that good times follow hard ones. She acquires strength and confidence. Don't rob her of all of this by trying to save her from all forms of suffering. In the end, you will leave her unprepared for the inevitable challenges she will face as an adult.
Neither you nor your loved ones need to be "productive" every moment of the day... Take the pressure off yourself, your spouse and your child: endorse brief periods of "doing nothing." When you see your spouse or child "doing nothing," don't immediately ask them to do something. Instead, praise them for wisely indulging in self-care: "It's nice to see you relaxing Honey. Everyone needs time to recharge!" If, on the other hand, you routinely interrupt their "do nothing" time with a request (since they're obviously available), you give the impression that relaxing is not allowed, let alone beneficial. Of course, no one needs to do nothing for hours on end. But little breaks throughout the day are good for them and for YOU. Let your family savour these moments and use them to maintain emotional and physical well-being.
