The Secret Life of Brave Kids

Here's a secret.

Brave kids feel nervous.

They get butterflies.

They worry they'll get it wrong.

They wonder if they'll fail.

The difference is what happens next.

While some kids let those feelings stop them, brave kids learn how to move forward anyway.

That's the real secret behind building confidence in children.

Confidence isn't the absence of fear.

It's action despite it.

Parents often think confidence comes first.

It doesn't.

Most kids don't feel confident before they try something new.

They feel uncertain.

Awkward.

Unsure.

Then they try.

And something interesting happens.

They survive.

Maybe they succeed.

Maybe they don't.

But they discover they're capable of handling the experience.

That's how building confidence in children really works.

Action first.

Confidence second.

Watch kids at a playground.

One child climbs halfway up the structure and stops.

The next visit, they climb a little higher.

The visit after that, they're at the top.

Nothing magical happened.

They simply collected evidence.

Evidence that they could do hard things.

That's why movement matters so much when it comes to building confidence in children.

Every climb.

Every jump.

Every attempt.

They're all confidence deposits.

Parents love their kids.

That's why we rush in.

We help.

We fix.

We solve.

But sometimes we accidentally steal the very thing we're trying to build.

Because confidence grows when kids figure things out themselves.

The journey of building confidence in children requires a little struggle.

Not overwhelming struggle.

Just enough challenge for kids to discover they're stronger than they thought.

Sport is a confidence factory

This is one reason sport is so powerful.

Kids miss shots.

Lose games.

Fall over.

Get things wrong.

And then they keep going.

Every practice becomes another opportunity for building confidence in children.

Not because they win every time.

Because they learn they don't need to.

The child who keeps trying despite mistakes is often developing more confidence than the child who finds everything easy.

The words adults use matter.

A lot.

Instead of:

"Be careful."

Try:

"Give it a go."

Instead of:

"Don't fall."

Try:

"You've got this."

Parents play a huge role in building confidence in children because kids borrow our belief before they develop their own.

Sometimes confidence starts with someone else believing first.

People see brave kids and assume confidence came naturally.

It didn't.

It was built.

One attempt.

One challenge.

One "watch this" moment at a time.

That's the secret life of brave kids.

They aren't fearless.

They've simply learned something powerful.

The scary things usually become less scary once you try them.

For more tips and tricks, feel free to contact us or read our Dewey Does blog. Don’t forget, if your whole family want to look amazing while you’re out there living your best life, we make a whole range of inspiring novelty tees that can add a touch of fun and color. Speaking of fun and color, be sure to check out our super cool interactive logo!

While you’re here, we’d love to hear what you have to say about kids sports moments Drop us your two cents below.

Hi, Team Does. I get all my sports news and updates from my friend Tommy Ommy, host of Straight from the Basement Sports Podcast. Be sure to follow him wherever you get your podcasts, and check out his YouTube channel for sports news and conversations - Dewey.

Fighting childhood obesity since 2006