How to Be a Courageous Parent

I believe that parenting is the most courageous job on earth, so congratulations on taking it on! Whether it’s letting your child fall and get up again as they’re learning to walk, leaving your child at preschool for the first time, or even watching them go out in the world in this time of constant pandemic uncertainty. There will be many points throughout parenthood and even on a daily basis where we have to muster up more courage than perhaps we ever dreamed we were capable of. 

My team of therapists and I at The Anxiety Clinic have worked with thousands of children, adolescents and parents to help them to conquer fear and anxiety to build resilience. We work with parents to help them to move from parenting from a place of fear to a place of courage. Courageous parenting is not defined by the absence of fear, it’s simply choosing to allow your child to develop courage and confidence in themselves. 

Here are FIVE TIPS from the Mind Strength Method for how you can be a courageous parent: 

1. Allow Your Kids to Face Fear

   Sometimes we need to allow our children to be afraid and see that they are okay. Although it’s challenging to leave your child crying on their first day of school or their first night sleeping in their own bed, doing so is essential to building their sense of autonomy and confidence. 

2. Foster Awareness, Not Fear

   While warning your child about dangers and teaching them to be careful is important you don’t want to instil them with fear. Rather than teaching them to ‘be careful’, teach them to ‘be aware’ of their surroundings and people.

3. Trust Your Kids

   It can be tempting to want to wrap our kids in cotton wool to protect them from the big, bad world but the reality is that despite our best efforts to protect them, things will happen that are out of our control. Trusting your child to make the best decisions for themselves is very important and allows them to learn from their own mistakes as they grow up.

4. Model Courage & Resilience

   When something bad happens or you face a failure, react in a way that teaches them resilience, continuous improvement and the courage to try again. Your strength and persistence are critical to their success. 

5. Trust Your Instincts

   Sometimes you have to trust your gut feeling, despite what advice other parents may be giving you or what some parenting experts claim. Remember that it’s part of a child’s job to bring out fear in us so that we learn to face it head-on and develop more courage over time. Let them teach you how to be the parent they need.

Ready to conquer anxiety? Pick up your copy of The Mind Strength Method: Four Steps to Curb Anxiety, Conquer Worry and Build Resilience at your favourite bookshop or go to drjodie.com.au/shop