Every parent’s goal is to equip their children with skills that will help them through life when they themselves aren’t there to protect and guide them. Mental resilience is one of the most important such skills, which can be hugely helpful in their adult lives whatever their aspirations may be. When people are able to rely on their own inner resources and pull themselves up by their bootstraps, there’s no limit to what they can achieve.

There are different things you can do to ensure your child has an edge over the problems that they’ll naturally face one day. Read on for the top 5 parenting tips you can use to raise a mentally resilient child.

1. Forget about helicopter parenting

A part of helping your children grow up strong is letting them learn from their own mistakes. It is difficult to fight the urge to jump in and help them at every turn. However, it’s ultimately better for them if they get to practice problem-solving and self-reliance at an early age. Give them instructions on how to perform an activity and keep an eye on them as they do it, but let them try things out for themselves. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t interfere if they’re experiencing a serious problem, like bullying.

1. Teach them to accept their feelings

Mental strength isn’t about keeping your feelings bottled or maintaining appearances when you’re actually struggling inside. Instead, it’s about finding inner strength to overcome life’s challenges. It’s also about expressing your feelings freely but still acting rationally and in your best interest. Emotional intelligence is actually a big part of it. Strong people are able to recognize and acknowledge their own and other people’s emotions and they don’t shy away from them. They embrace their hurt and work through it to find the solution to their challenges. 

1. Don’t give them every little thing they want

Most parents enjoy spoiling their little ones. After all, what’s better than putting a smile on their face? However, there’s a huge difference between expressing your love for your kids and overindulging them. If you satisfy their every whim, they’ll miss out on an important life lesson. This way, they may grow up thinking that they’re entitled to everything without ever lifting a finger. They may also adopt the idea that material things are all that matters. Instead of serving everything on a silver platter, teach them the value of hard work and discipline. You can still spoil them on occasion!

1. Avoid pushing your ambitions on them

It’s not uncommon for parents to live vicariously through their children. If they have dreams that haven’t come true, they wish to live them out this way. So, they may push their children to pursue their interests and aspirations instead of helping them to discover their own. This often goes hand in hand with expecting excellence. The children of parents who set expectations too high may become insecure and too critical of themselves. While the parents may think that they’re doing their child a favor, they may actually be affecting their self-esteem and clipping their wings.

1. Expose them to new experiences

The more they learn about the world, the more likely your children will be to find their passion and self-confidence. For example, you could take them to a fantastic trampoline playground and let them try out trampolining if they haven’t done it yet. Or, you can take them on a short out-of-town trip so they can get a taste of a new environment. With your guidance, they can make sense of these experiences and piece together a solid, comprehensive worldview.