An Optimistic Future – Teach Our Children Well!
With the sustained bad economic news shaking our world we need to help our children by remaining optimistic ourselves.
We spend our lives looking after the welfare of our kids. We clean up our kid’s messes. We are there for our kids when they need help. If they find themselves in trouble we bail them out. What happens when we create the mess? Sadly, our kids are not only already affected by today’s economic problems but they will have a difficult road ahead as they become adults and have to clean up after us. Now, perhaps more than ever, we need to impart the tools and convey the lessons that they will need to navigate the journey ahead. Character development is so darn important.
Everyday we are blasted with depressing messages about our future. We cannot lose sight of the fact that our kids are absorbing the same predictions. Pessimism and optimism are traits that can be handed down, according to Dr. Martin Seligman, founder of Positive Psychology, former President of the American Psychological Association and author of the book “The Optimistic Child”. The way these traits are handled will set the tone for their behaviors and affect the course of their lives. We cannot nor should not attempt to shield our children from harsh realities. However, I feel it is crucial for us to cultivate optimism in ourselves and promote it with our children. The future guidance of the world depends on it.
There is positive news! An optimistic outlook can become a way of life for those who take the time to develop the frame of mind. Our children learn by watching us and follow our prompts. Optimism is a gift we can give our kids that will offset the destructive burden of pessimism. This is a gift that will continue throughout their lifetime!
Dr. Martin Seligman has been researching the traits and outcomes of optimism for decades. He and other researcher define optimism and pessimism as our “explanatory style”, or how we humans regard events in our lives. Research has connected excellent health, outstanding sport performance and distinguished educational achievement with high levels of optimism. When reviewing our experiences our “explanatory style” contains three basic measurements:permanence, pervasiveness and personalization.
How an OPTIMISTIC person explains a life event that TURNED OUT WELL:
PERMANENT: The outcome will occur again.
PERVASIVE: This outcome will cause positive affects in other areas of my life.
PERSONAL: I organized this outcome.
How a PESSIMISTIC person perceives a life event that TURNED OUT WELL.
TEMPORARY: It was a fortunate break and probably won’t happen again.
SPECIFIC: The positive outcome does not carry affect other aspects of life.
IMPERSONAL: This event was caused by outside circumstances and I did not contribute to the conclusions. I cannot take responsibility for the event as I was not in control.
Astoundingly, when a life event does NOT turn out well, our “explanatory style” works in total reverse.
How an OPTIMISTIC person interprets something that DID NOT TURN OUT WELL.
TEMPORARY: This event was a flukes and probably will never happen again.
SPECIFIC: This result does not disrupt other areas of my life.
IMPERSONAL: This result was out of my control. I will learn from this event and avoid these difficulties in the future.
How a PESSIMISTIC person reacts to an instance that DID NOT TURN OUT WELL:
PERMANENT: Things always turn out bad for me.
PERVASIVE: This negative result will affect everything I do.
PERSONAL: This What happened is all my fault.
Years of research has determined that optimism can ward off feelings of depression and anxiety. It is essential to determine your child’s “explanatory style” in order to help them make adjustments if needed. To be able to imbue our kids in optimism for the future we must first be aware of pessimism in them and also within ourselves. Learn more about character development at our site.
Tags: character counts, character, character training, education, children character, six pillars, honesty, citizenship, bullying, educators
