When I read Renee’s first draft of this post about productive struggle, I had just come home from the children’s triathlon in my town. At the event, I thought to myself, “All the people who think kids these days are lazy should come to this,” because all the triathletes, regardless of skill or athletic ability, show incredible perseverance. One child was even rescued by lifeguards and then still went on to finish the bike and run portion of the race. C’mon…how many adults do you know who would keep going under those circumstances? It was a visible reminder of the entire point of this post:
Kids usually rise to the challenge when we adults give them the space, encouragement, and opportunity to do so.