Courage: Learning from the Cowardly Lion

Almost everyone—and certainly most adults—know of the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz. Scared of everyone and everything, he wishes for courage. And at the end of his journey, the Wizard grants him courage, but pinning a medal on his chest.

That works great for Hollywood in 1939, but what about today? Gaining courage is more than just putting a medal on your child’s chest. But no doubt, there are a lot of opportunities that will pass her by if you don’t foster that sense of courage. Saying “be brave” is one thing, but if children learn from what we do, not just from what we say, how do parents encourage courage in their child?

Here are a few ideas.

1. Talk it out. Adults may not be comfortable talking about how they feel, but it’s important. Especially when we are feeling disappointed or scared. It’s okay to admit, “This activity makes me nervous,” especially when you are doing something for the first time. If you or your children have never done something before, the unknown can be pretty intimidating. But if you admit a touch of nerves, and go through with the new thing anyway, your child will see that it’s okay to be afraid. Just don’t let it stop you.

2. Share your regrets. Maybe you tried to learn to ski when you were younger. Or you passed on that high school trip to New York City because you were afraid to fly. And you’ve since thought, “I wished I would have.” Let your child know that. If he is thinking about doing something, but admits he’s afraid of it, sharing a common experience can help. Let him know that you once felt that way. And if you had the chance to do it over, you’d choose differently. Because a lot of times, the opportunity to do something will only come once. How sad they will be if they look back and think, “I really should have…”

3. Learn from your mistakes. Mistakes present us with our most teachable moments—for ourselves and for our kids. Quite often, kids hold back from doing things because they are afraid of making a mistake and looking silly in front of their friends. But as they say, mistakes are one of the few things that are truly ours. By examining them, we see what we could do differently if we try again. If your child is holding back from something because she is afraid of making a mistake, share a time when you made a mistake and what you learned from it. By showing her that mistakes aren’t something to be totally avoided, you can take the fear out of making one.

4. Try, try again. Is there an activity you were too afraid to try? Something you tried and weren’t successful? Give it another shot—and make sure your child sees you doing it. Maybe it’s something you can do as a family, such as learning to ski, taking a foreign language, or training in taekwondo! Talk about what it takes to go back to something and give it the old college try. Success the second time around may be sweeter because you weren’t successful the first time. Or because this time you have someone to share it with.

One thing is for sure: No one is going to come to your door and magically bestow courage by awarding a shiny medal. But by practicing and teaching through example, you can help your child develop the courage he’ll need when he faces challenges and opportunities in his own life.

----

Oakmont Martial Arts licensed by the American Taekwondo Association,
the premier North American organization dedicated to the martial arts
discipline of taekwondo. They offer training for young children (Tiny Tigers,
3-6), youth (6-13), teens and adults, as well as adult fitness classes. Visitwww.OakmontMartialArts.com or their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ataOakmont) for more information, or call 412-826-8004
to schedule an introductory lesson.

A software technical writer by day, Mary Sutton is the mother of two teens and has been making her living with words for over ten years. She is the author of the Hero’s Sword middle-grade fantasy series, writing as M.E. Sutton, and The Laurel Highlands Mysteries police-procedural series, writing as Liz Milliron. Visit her online at www.marysuttonauthor.com.