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What is courage? Is it the student that stands up to the bully in school that’s picking on another child? Is it the child that’s battling cancer for the third time? Sitting down and talking to your child about courage – what it is, what it means, and how to have it – is not easy. It’s often a conversation forgotten among the numerous others that parents need to have with their children today. Yet, fostering courage in your child is critical to their development of a strong self-esteem and positive world view.                             

Why Does Courage Matter?

Imagine a world without courageous people. When talking to your son or daughter about courage, think about what the world would be like if no one was willing to step outside of his or her comfort zone.

• Diseases would not have cures.
• Governments and other strong groups would oppress people.
• The needs of the individual would not be heard.
• Children would have no say in their life and career.
• Minority groups would lack the ability to challenge the status quo.

While these may seem like big world issues that don’t impact your child, they really do on a larger scale. When a child – any child – doesn’t have courage, he or she is also lacking in the ability and willingness to create a life that’s perfect for them. They settle for what’s on hand. They don’t strive for something bigger because they’re afraid of failing. Parents need to be proactive in fostering a sense of being courageous, determined, and motivated in order to encourage children to live their biggest, boldest life.

How to Encourage Your Child to Take That Step

There are many things you can do to encourage courage in your child. Here are a few places to start.

Right from Wrong

Before your child can learn courage, he or she must understand right from wrong. They need to grasp the importance of recognising their free will but also the impact their actions have on others. Using morals and personal values are an important part of being courageous.

Encourage Imagination

To be courageous, children also need to be imaginative. If they only see problems and situations as right or wrong, with one solution, they lack the imagination to create a new solution. Encouraging imagination can help children to see the world in different ways and that can help to stimulate a new way of thinking. “How can I solve this problem and keep everyone happy?”

Talk About Fears

Often, children are not willing to be courageous because of the risks it brings. Standing up to the bully or trying to deal with the older child that’s encouraging drug use isn’t easy. It’s much easier to simply stay away or avoid the problem. However, this inaction stems from a concern about the risk. Ask your child what they are afraid of. What’s the worst that can happen? And, discuss the importance of pushing through that fear to accomplish bigger and better things. What if they were brave enough to do that? Could they help themselves and their friends?

Discuss Their Responsibility

Another important teaching topic for parents has to do with personal responsibility. Yes, it’s easy to look the other way, but people have a personal responsibility to do something when they see something isn’t right. Teaching children to avoid excuses for why they shouldn’t do something and to take action instead is empowering.

What Else Can You Do?

As a parent, at the heart of teaching courage is demonstrating it. Ensure they know you expect them to be courageous and that you value this value in others. And, it’s important to open up the conversation and talk about courage on a regular basis. This, along with creating a positive self-esteem for your child, can give them the support they need to change their life’s course and help others, too.