This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.
Earlier this week, my son was working on a project, and from his huffs and sighs, it was not going as he had hoped. Both of my kids are generally confident, so my son’s doubt about his crafting ability was an opportunity for me to continue helping him establish a positive sense of who he is and what he is capable of. My son, like most boys his age, is fascinated by real and fictional superheroes, and after seeing Tom Cruise’s extended spot in Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation, where he talks about hanging onto the side of an airplane as it is taking off over England, I used this seemingly impossible stunt to talk about perseverance and believing in oneself.
As a parent, I work at fostering each of my children’s self-esteem and feelings of self-worth because how my son and daughter view themselves will help them succeed as adults and cope with the certainty of life’s unpredictability. Confidence and self-esteem is something that each of my children will have to own individually, but as a parent there are several things I can do to raise a confident child:
1. Model Confidence: Children learn more from who you are than what you say. As a parent, I’ve witnessed this firsthand in everything from their choice of foods or how they spend their time to their attitudes and how they relate as siblings, students, and friends. I can set the precedent in our home by modeling confidence in my words and actions so that my children understand what that looks like on a daily basis in a variety of real-world situations.
2. Identify and Celebrate Successes: Between school, sports, church, and other extra-curricular activities, it’s easy to find myself focused on “correcting and directing.” Along with what’s become a daily celebration of what each of my children felt was the best part of their day, I have committed to verbally acknowledge when my children clean up without being asked, share and play cooperatively with their sibling, or have a really great day at school.
3. Allow For Mistakes: As a parent, my instinct is to want to “fix” situations or better yet, prevent them. My greatest growth has come from my mistakes and I’m constantly reminding myself that it’s ok for my kids to learn from their own decisions and actions, provided that there is no danger involved. I try to talk with my kids soon after the mistake to identify what action could have been taken to effect a different outcome.
4. Assign Responsibilities: A couple of weeks ago, my son proudly stated that helping to take out the trash was “his job” in our family. Something so simple and essential has evoked a sense of confidence and responsibility within him. His mastery over a simple household chore continues to build his confidence, and more importantly, affirm his vital role in our family.
5. Show Unconditional Love: I don’t know whether my kids will become physicians or artists, but I want them to know that whatever career and life path they embark on, they are loved. As a parent, it can be frustrating to see your child struggle with a sport or a subject in school, but loving them through it can be the difference in raising a child who is confident and self-assured in spite of their struggle.
Since my son and I were talking about Tom Cruise, I asked him how he thought the actor accomplished such a thrilling stunt. His answer was simple and immediate…”he practiced.” “He probably didn’t get it right the first time he hung onto that airplane,” I surmised. By the end of our conversation, my son understood that mastery takes practice and more importantly perseverance.
As a long-time fan of the Mission Impossible series, I found Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation to be gripping, clever, and remarkably humorous. In the latest action/spy/thriller film, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) finds himself on his own after the IMF (Impossible Missions Force) is disbanded. When he learns of a terrorist network of highly skilled agents is threatening to create a new world order, Hunt joins forces with Benji (Simon Pegg), Brandt (Jeremy Renner) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) to take on their most impossible mission to date.
Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation fuses thrilling action scenes, an astute plot with substantial twists and turns to keep audiences guessing, and enough humor to keep the tone light without detracting from the film’s suspense, Whether this is your first Mission Impossible film or you’ve seen them all, Hunt’s seemingly impossible mission does not disappoint.
Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation is in theaters today! You can get tickets by visiting Fandango.com.
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