As part of the series, “Families, Safe Environments”, under the Educational Quality Program of the Wiese Foundation, the talk “Resilience and Empathy in the Family” was given by Sara Encinas, coach and educator, who spoke about its importance and how parents can develop it with their children.
The educator explained that currently, many households are going through difficult times due to confinement because of the pandemic. Encinas asked how the families are confronting these situations, if they happen to be facing them through creativity and imagination.
What is resilience?
Resilience is the capacity to respond to adverse situations. “We recover from pain and come out stronger,” described Encinas about this quality.
The specialist remembered that many parents had shared incredible stories with her: “Where they have become stronger in the face of adversity and today have been able to recover from pain”.
Encinas continued explaining that two people can have different attitudes toward the same situation. The educator gave an example: “Let’s suppose that the child isn’t learning, they have difficulties, and are really slow at learning, then two mothers can look at this situation in a different manner. One of them might feel disappointed, very sad because her child can’t learn, she feels sorry that she can’t help them, so she feels frustrated, crushed, depressed”.
“Another way of facing it is I go to talk to the teacher, I begin to follow her instructions, it doesn’t work, I go to the pediatrician, it doesn’t work, I go to the therapist, they tell me to look for help, they give me instructions, my child begins to progress. They are two ways of approaching the same problem”, specified the teacher.
Importance of resilience
Sara Encinas also remembered Lea Waters, founder of positive psychology. This researcher emphasizes the strengths of parents and children. The educator asked parents to identify their qualities and those of their children. “This raising of children focused on virtues will contribute to fomenting the capacity for resilience,” the teacher pointed out.
Furthermore, Encinas explained that the development of resilience is produced in safe environments. The teacher insisted that the parents should teach their children self-love and creativity, qualities that will help them face their problems.
“Remember that a safe and protective environment will allow your son and your daughter to develop with the best possible wellbeing. It is important for unconditional love to always be present”, ended the teacher. You can see the complete talk with Encinas here
