Recently an elementary school teacher shared they were getting suicide prevention training, because suicide rates for children were rising so drastically. There are many reasons for the rise in suicides, but one contributing factor is often that the person has lost all hope. While raising hope-filled kids won’t guarantee they will never commit suicide or harm themselves in other ways, it does greatly improve the chances they will be less likely to feel there is no hope in their lives or their worlds.
Although some children seem to be more naturally hope-filled than others, any child can become more hopeful when taught some important principles and skill sets. While there are probably many things you can do to give your kids hope, here are a few of my favorites:
My daughter and I were talking recently about doing service and mission work. As we discussed our experiences, I realized how important it is to teach your kids how to listen to the hearts of people.
Life constantly changes. If you have been a parent for more than a few weeks, you have probably already realized that the minute you figure out the best way to handle something your child is doing – they move on to something new. For your child, all of that change can be even scarier. They don’t have the life experience yet to realize this transition will most likely lead to bigger and better things. Or that even though it doesn’t, they can survive and even thrive with a little help.
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A stint working for Hearst Magazines taught me a lot about the tricks of advertising. I became fascinated by the Good Housekeeping Institute. Anyone wanting to run an ad in Good Housekeeping magazine had to submit the ad copy and the product they were advertising for testing, before being allowed to advertise.