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Teaching kids to name, tolerate, and move through difficult emotions is a critical component of resilience.

Children who are supported through discomfort are more likely to develop confidence and autonomy.

Children develop a better sense of self-worth when parents focus on effort, problem-solving, and character.

As parents, it’s almost instinctive: we want to protect our children from discomfort. We step in when they struggle, smooth over disappointments, and try to prevent failure before it happens. But in doing so, we may be unintentionally limiting one of the most important life skills they can develop: resilience.

Resilience is often misunderstood. It’s not about raising children who are tough, unaffected, or able to “push through” anything. It’s not about suppressing emotions or avoiding hardship. In fact, resilience is quite the opposite. It’s the ability to sit within difficult situations, regulate emotions, recover, and move forward. It’s about emotional flexibility—the capacity to understand, “This is hard, and I can handle it.”

This distinction becomes especially important when we consider the difference between persistence and resilience. Persistence is one of the nine aspects of temperament and refers to the ability to remain committed to a task despite any challenges. Resilience is the ability to adjust or recover from significant adversity.........

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