Teach Your Kids How to Have Hope

Growing up means dealing with various situations that are not always pleasant. In my book, "Molly the Trolley And Bud," Molly becomes increasingly worried when Bud is no longer around. Sometimes at night, she cries to sleep and worries that she'll be sent to the scrap yard because she's no longer "useful" to the people around her.

In a way, Molly felt hopeless. That is until Bud returned and ensured Molly would never have to worry about her future.

One important lesson we can all learn from this book is the concept of hope. Hope is a belief that things will get better. Holding on to hope is what someone does when they feel like they're in a dark place. When people have hope, they become empowered to stay strong and work through difficult situations.

Teaching this lesson is incredibly useful for kids because the world is not always kind. While it's natural to protect children from the harshness of reality, this can backfire because it doesn't give them the strength or the courage to keep going, even when things are fruitless. As much as we would love our children to stay as happy as possible, we would be doing a disservice to their future if we do not teach them how to handle their distressing emotions positively.

Here are some practical ways to teach your child hope:

1. Let them be upset.

While it may seem counterintuitive to let them wail and be angry, allowing your child to feel their emotions teaches them vulnerability and emotional honesty. After they have expressed their feelings in a healthy way, ask them about their emotions and coach them into sharing them with you. That way, your child will understand the importance of verbalizing their feelings and healthily working through them.

2. Instill them in believing that bad things will come to pass.

A few stories have characters facing difficulties. One example is when Molly the Trolley finally meets Bud again after months and years of his departure. When the two friends reunited, Molly was overjoyed because the dark period in her life had come to pass.

In life, sometimes bad things happen, but that will not always be the case. Teach your little one that these moments are necessary because it helps us appreciate good things when it comes.

3. Give them something to look forward to.

Molly held on to the hope of seeing her best friend again. This hope gives her the strength to keep going even when things seem dark and sad.

You can give your child something to look forward to. Think of a reward or an event your child would like (like a day at the park or the movies after a stressful day). Once the difficult period has come and gone, they'll find it much better to appreciate the reward once they receive it!

4. Read them stories with happy endings.

Aside from "Molly the Trolley and Bud," other stories you can read to your little ones are "Cinderella," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves," "Aladdin," and even the Tale of Job in the Bible. Many of these characters had faced insurmountable odds before they reached their happy endings.

Reading to them stories of people overcoming their struggles will empower them to keep on going even when things are difficult.

Bottomline: Many people find it easy to give into despair when they have nothing to look forward to. As early as possible, we should teach our children to have hope so they can grow up to be courageous people with mental fortitude.