Daily Tips for Families

Today's Tip for Families

10-18-2022

Everyone makes mistakes. It's what they do next that makes the difference between a problem and a learning experience.

Teach your teen that after making a mistake it is important to take these steps:

Accept responsibility. This is not the same as feeling guilty. It's simply being able to say sincerely, "I messed up. And I apologize."
Try to make amends. Some mistakes can be fixed. For example, a teen who mows down part of flowerbed while cutting the grass could save money for new flowers and then plant them. Some mistakes can't be fixed completely. In these cases, help your teen figure out the cause of the mistake. Some causes are obvious, like not paying enough attention. But if your teen hurt someone's feelings, for example, suggest thinking about why your teen decided to speak or act unkindly.
Encourage your teen to come up with a new rule that will prevent doing the same thing again. It could be, "I'll pick out one spot for important school papers so I'm less likely to lose them." Or, "I'll think twice before I say something mean."
Get beyond it. Encourage self-forgiveness. Your teen shouldn't forgive and forget, but forgive and remember so things will be different next time.

Brought to you by:

Nye County Schools
Pahrump, NV