What Smart Kids Know about Persistence

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Read and discuss this with your child early and often.

Nothing great or extraordinary was ever accomplished without a healthy dose of perseverance. It matters not what we hope to achieve in life, whether it’s success in school, a career, wealth or a wonderful family life. We cannot hope to excel if we do not learn the value of persistence and work. Developing the attitude that obstacles are just challenges to be overcome together with a solid work ethic is surest road to success in any endeavor.
When you first hear stuff like “work ethic” you may think, jeez, that doesn’t sound like very much fun. But as you grow you will find that the accomplishments that come with a good work ethic can bring the greatest joys into your life. The good work habits that you develop early in life can lead you anywhere you want to go, to become anything you want to be.
It has been said that “anything that the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve” and mankind has proved this to be true time after time. Many born into disadvantage and poverty have amassed great wealth and power. Men and women with little formal education have become great inventors, captains of in industry, leaders of nations, sports super stars and heroes. But all these things also required perseverance and a solid work ethic.
Thomas Edison was born in 1847 the youngest of 7 children. He was only able attended school for a short time and was principally self educated at home with his mothers help. His self education continued throughout his life.

Modern Science and Ancient Wisdom Agree on Early Education Practices

Since the dawn of mankind, each generation has faced the challenge of passing accumulated wisdom to the next generation. For early mankind, technical information, like how to make an arrowhead, build a shelter or plant a crop were passed on from father to son or thru an apprenticeship. Mothers passed on to daughters the many skills that it took to maintain a healthy home and family.
These skills were so important to the continued success of a community that often the entire village would be involved in the process. But, from the beginning it was apparent that children needed to learn more than basic skills if they were to prosper and grow to be productive and successful adults.
Traits like good judgment, honesty, perseverance and moral values were essential if any civil community was to be maintained. However, instilling virtues like common sense, courage and the difference between right and wrong demanded a much more complex process.
How should these abstract concepts be taught? When should the lessons begin? How could these essential core values be instilled for a lifetime? These questions have been asked by every civilization that has ever flourished. Amazingly each arrived at the same premise.
On every continent, each human group came to the same conclusion, fundamental strength of character, traits like perseverance, compassion and honesty could only be lastingly taught to the very young. If you wait until a child has grown too adolescent, the best chance of implanting the seeds of a strong moral compass will have been missed.
But, how could such complexities of thought be conveyed to young children? Well, first and most importantly, you will need to capture the child attention, imagination and interest. Next, you need to make the information easy to remember to make a lasting impression. Lastly the lessons will need to be reinforced in ways that the child enjoys and that lead to increased self-esteem.
Each civilization, in turn, discovered ways to impress young children with the lasting principles so important to a bountiful life. They found that the use of short stories, proverbs, fables and sayings could make a lasting impression on a child’s life skills. That once instilled these values would last a lifetime.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom for Kids

Long, long ago before there were computers or the internet.before TV’s. dvd’s, play stations or even the radio. Long before there were schools or books or even writing, every parent that ever lived wanted the same things for their children that parents want today.They wanted them to be happy and successful in life. They wanted to watch them grow to become balanced, wise, productive, good and kind adults.

So back before there were schools or writing or anything; how do you think all those parents, passed on wisdom to their kids? How could they give them the mental tools that they would need to grow up to be good and kind and brave and happy?

Well for hundreds of generations the way that they taught important principles was to tell stories, proverbs, rhymes and fables that would help imprint vital information.

They wanted their children to remember these vital bits of wisdom all of their lives.Each of these stories, fables or old sayings would contain a moral or a common sense viewpoint that would help a child remember certain moral way-points as they grew.

The first thing that would be needed was to capture a child’s full attention.  Kids have always been kids, so first of all the stories, puzzles, etc. had to be interesting or funny or even scary. They needed to be easy to remember. That way when the kids found themselves in a tricky situation, they could relate to the story and make good decisions.
Who do you think made-up these stories?