Wisdom - Wisdom Builds Resilience

Life presents difficulties, and resilience empowers us to rise above them.

I'm going to share how wisdom builds resilience, but first, I'd like to acknowledge you as a parent who strives to teach your child about values by focusing on a weekly character trait.

Benefits

Whether you realise it or not, you are role-modelling wisdom to your child.

While your child is unlikely to recognise the wisdom in this, they will appreciate it later in life, and you will be glad as you watch your child grow and develop into a socially responsible, kind adult.

Naturally, if you teach your child values such as wisdom, kindness, honesty, respect, compassion, and others, your child will pull you up on them if you don't display what you are teaching them.

Not so wise, but you're growing and developing daily like your child. Personal development never stops.

Life consistently challenges patience, compassion, understanding, and other character traits.

Wisdom builds resilience in numerous ways:

1. Patience: This benefits us in persevering through difficult situations without giving up.

2. Emotional regulation: Wisdom helps us manage our emotions by staying calm and focusing on solutions during difficult times.

3. Perspectives: there's wisdom in respecting and understanding different viewpoints as opportunities for growth.

Participating in the character of the week for your child's development also benefits you personally.

Character traits encompass other values, like having a group of like-minded friends.

Wisdom includes being thoughtful and considerate, like foresight.

Wisdom in action

As an adult, I suspect you're aware of the many people who get scammed when transferring large amounts of money when purchasing a new home, for example.

They could use their wisdom to transfer a small amount, like five dollars, and once the correct party confirms receipt, they can transfer the more significant amount. That would be five dollars well spent.

Another aspect of wisdom is preparing your child for what to do and how to deal with challenging situations.

Do you know what your child would do if offered lollies by a stranger, and would they willingly go with someone who offered them a lift home? Do they know their full name and address and the phone number to call if you collapse? Have you explained to them that some people are tricky and want them to keep secrets from you?

Parenting is full of joyful, happy moments and challenging situations.

You can't wrap up your child in cotton wool, but you can teach them values and help them develop their wisdom so that they can handle difficult times when you are around and when you're not around so they can make discerning choices and take the necessary action.

Outcome

Teaching your child wisdom and other character traits can help them develop ethical foundations and gain a sense of fairness instead of failing to understand right from wrong in challenging situations.

Your child improves mental health by making thoughtful decisions and practising self-awareness rather than feeling stressed or confused by impulsive choices and unclear values, often influenced by peer pressure.

Research by the University of Chicago Center for Practical Wisdom has found that children tend to associate wisdom with traits like intelligence, cleverness, and concern for others in their early understanding of it.

The British Psychological Society has also found that children learn about wisdom through parents and grandparents who model wise behaviour.

So once again, congrats to you for being a wise parent who puts in the effort to teach values each week to your child so that they develop ethical foundations and, no doubt, will help the world be a better place because they're in it.

Keep at it - it's an atomic habit!