Children have the same experiences. They write a paper, for example, that takes days and days, and the teacher says, You should have tried harder. There isn t much, but there is a law of averages. That means that when we try a lot, some of the ships will come in and some won t, but chances are, there will always be some ships in port. We have to help our children know the value of effort.
Failure is no crime.
Not trying is. Sparking the Conversation Ask children for their own memories of making an effort and not making an effort. Try to remember a time when you made an all-out effort, maybe to win someone s affections or to get on a team, and it didn t work out. Your children will notice that you are still standing, so making an effort can t be too disastrous. Newspaper Activity Check the want ads.