Bravery is powerful.
Bravery should be celebrated. Embraced. Cultivated. Pursued. And taught.
Our children benefit from being brave and trying new things and following those passions that they are gifted with. When I was asked to consider writing a review about the Disney Movie Planes about bravery and courage and how to teach it to my children I jumped on board. Why? Because I want to push my children to be brave and to believe in themselves.
Often it’s the little things, the little moments of courage that define our lives.
When we were at the lake a dog came running down on the dock. My daughter, Grace, really doesn’t care for dogs. Especially big dogs who came running onto a dock unexpectedly. All the kids stood up and Grace hid behind her younger brother Brennan. Brennan was initially a bit irritated that she was behind him. I told him, Brennan she’s behind you because to her you’re protecting her. With that statement he broadened his stance and a smile came across his face.
He was brave. Courageous.
I was asked to identify with a character in the upcoming movie Planes that I believe relates to my parenting style. Well, I love teaching my children that level of braveness and courage. Sometimes it means standing in front of your sister protecting her and other times it might be dealing with your own fears and overcoming them. So of course I related to Dusty, the main character of Planes. He’s afraid of heights. Is the underdog. Is the one who has to deal with his own fears. And yet, through the support of great friends, he is able to conquer those fears.
Do you know what I love? That he wasn’t just doing it on his own.
It took support from friends.
And that is what I want to teach my children. There are so many ways to be courageous and brave. But, when you have support and when you can give support it is much easier to be courageous.
The same week at the lake that same son of mine discovered he was even more brave. There’s a swimming raft out deep and he’s been wanting to go out there all week. Finally on Friday, his sisters convinced him to swim with them out there with his lifejacket on. They were his support. They were like the character Chug who believed in Dusty even when he doubted himself. So Brennan did. He swam to that raft and discovered that the very thing he was afraid of was now a delightful wonderful thing.
And the beauty? His sisters were there with him. Celebrating his success.
That’s what I love about Planes. It’s not about one person just being courageous – it’s about a beautiful network of characters rallying around a friend.
And they all grow. They all learn their own lessons in bravery.
These are the movies I want my kids watching and learning from. I want them to be brave. I want them to know that it’s okay to be afraid – fear is normal – and that it is excellent to try. I want them to be the friend who believes in others. I want them to not cut corners and to do things right. Is there a perfect way to teach bravery?
No. Just like there isn’t a perfect way to parent.
It’s instead different for each kid and each situation and each moment. But what is the same? The belief in our children. The standing on the sidelines cheering. That matters. And that’s why we’ll be watching Planes.
And besides, we love Cars, and well, it would be a given that it will be watched in this household. 🙂
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143 comments
I encourage my children to follow their passions for art and music. My 8 year old is a budding artist, my 10 year old plays guitar and drums, and my 3 year old daughter takes ballet. I applaud their accomplishments and motivate them to keep doing their best.
mami2jcn at gmail dot com
tweet:
http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/356900244593721344
mami2jcn at gmail dot com
I try to encourage my son to try new things. When he is leery to try something, I will try it to show him!
reklaw422 at hotmail dot com
I challenge my children to follow their dreams by taking one bite. Or trying one time. Or taking just one semester of that class. Whatever it is, just try it a little – all things, new things, old things, just try and keep trying. You’ll never know what you love or don’t love until you give it a whirl.
Thank you so much for the give-away!
http://twitter.com/applebug20/status/356906390255706113
Thank you again for the give-away! I so love your blog 🙂
I encourage my children to follow their dreams by involving them in sports and activities that they enjoy. I also practice with them and always seek out new experiences for them.
kellywcu8888ATgmailDOTcom
tweet
http://twitter.com/kellydsaver/status/356912647213547522
kellywcu8888ATgmailDOTcom
I challenge my children by encouraging them to try new things
mrsrodjac at hotmail dot com
I tell them anything is possible if they want it bad enough! glickgirls@gmail.com
I encourage my child by supporting his ideas and dreams and by telling him he can achieve his goals by working hard
elena150980@yahoo.com
http://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/356950841854402560
elena150980@yahoo.com
When they have an idea, even if it seems unrealistic to me, I try to encourage them as much as possible and then if they fail help them to learn and try again.
My boy is 3 and he’s still learning about life, I encourage him to be brave and be a leader by setting a good example and to teach him that there is no reason to be scared because Jesus is always with him. When he’s scared or afraid, I hear him mumble to himself that “I’m not afraid, I’m brave, Jesus is with me”. Melts the heart.
Praying right now!
Psalms 86:1-4 Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
My email address
My son is 4 so it is easy to let his imagination and creativity guide us. When he is interested in animals we go out in nature, we look up information about them and even pretend to be them. EAch week at the library I pick out some books and he does too. He can not only scan the shelves for books but tell me what he is interested in learning or reading about and I show him how to find it.
I too have been working on being courageous and brave with him lately. I have found that telling him he can do hard things (thank you Momastery), and telling him I am there to do this hard thing with him helps. It is a family mantra and it works!
Not sure why my ID didn’t show up above but my comment was the Unknown about the 4 year old son. my email is acey0791@yahoo.com
Our youngest is cautious in everything which is good to some extent. When it keeps him from trying new things (like swimming a couple of years ago) I find myself being the cheerleader on the sidelines, “You can do it!” He tackles things slowly and hesitantly (I’m just the opposite) so I’m learning to encourage and help him step ahead at his pace even when his first response is no.
Thanks for the chance.
I tell them to try new experiences as they may come to find out what their passions are, and if they apply themselves to do their best, they can achieve anything they put their minds into.
I support and encourage my kiddos by intently listening to them and building them up by using language that is affirming and kind 🙂
heatheranne99 at gmail dot com
Tweet!
http://twitter.com/KaizenFashion/status/357159647876104192
heatheranne99 at gmail dot com
My son is 17 months old, and right now it seems the best way we can encourage him when he tries the littlest things is by giving him tons of praise for things he does and plenty of cheering when we see him trying something, like “Good job! You did it!” or “Go ahead – you can do it!”
We have 6dc ages 26 – 8. We have always first challenged them to ‘Do what is right’ because the blessing of obedience will be the ‘desires of your heart.’ Of course, those desires are to be in line with God’s will. We encourage them in the small things and the big things (those ‘things’ tend to get bigger the older they get!)
This comment has been removed by the author.
I have an almost two year old. Right now, I am cultivating his passions in life. He loves art and painting, so we do lots of art time and sensory play. As he grows older, we will see how else his mind will expand.
april.cosner@gmail.com
I challenge my children to follow their dreams by encouraging them to make good choices in the now in order to be successful later on. Nothing like poor choices to derail a dream… Thanks!!!
I’m currently mom to a 17 yr old high school grad and the new “mom” to my niece (12) and nephew (11), and since they are new to organized sports and our entire lifestyle – we try to encourage them with their new-found interests and to think about what they want to do with their future lives and that WE can help them get there! As long as we continue to work as a team and they learn from mistakes and try harder to make the right choices – possibilities are in abundance! Wrong choices and not learning from mistakes and the consequences that follow, take away possibilities a little bit at a time.
These are the things we try to instill a little bit here and there each week.
Thanks for the chance to win! =) kprettym@wcfgroup.com
I encourage them to do what they love and support them in all they do. Love your blog, by the way!
http://twitter.com/kprettyman
kprettym@wcfgroup.com
I let them explore and try new experiences. I really try not to say no unless it’s something dangerous (obviously)
demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks for a great giveaway. Would love to take the family to the movies.
sethrich AT hotmail DOT com
I tweeted – http://twitter.com/StaticSeth/status/357239670591070208
sethrich AT hotmail DOT com
I challenge my children by supporting them in their dreams. My oldest wants to work for Disney, and we believe in her. We tell her that, but also tell her she will have to work hard. If she is willing to put in the effort, we believe she can achieve anything. It’s important for our children to know we believe in them.
I tweeted! http://twitter.com/kellystilwell/status/357246050907594752
I encourage my son by being a role model myself. I always wanted to be a RN and work in Labor and Delivery so I am chasing that dream as we speak and my son sees that and knows if mommy can do it so can I 🙂
nurse_mommy(at)live(dot)com
I encourage my grandkids by telling them they can face challenges & can do difficult things when they work hard. When they accomplish a goal it’s great to see how proud they are of themselves. This summer they are working at advancing their ranks in karate, and doing great!
tweeted
http://twitter.com/tmy56/status/357298995174977537
My children are no older than Samuel so I think teaching brave right now is mostly about giving them a definition. It’s also about listening to dreams (no matter how ridiculous) and validating thme as real.
We encourage our son to do what he is naturally good at. He is blessed to be good with many things (sports, art, music) so we try to nurture him to explore them.
ghalim at yahoo dot com
tweet this:
http://twitter.com/plz16/status/357306777106251777
ghalim at yahoo dot com
My children are all very young still, so my way of encouraging them to follow their dreams is to let them pretend and dream outrageously, and not rain on those dreams, no matter how unrealistic they are. There is time enough for “real life”. This is the imagination age!
I encourage Alysia to think of herself as brave and strong (she is!) not just “pretty” (which she also is). It’s a struggle with girls in our culture.
margueritecore [at] gmail [dot] com
I posted a tweet: http://twitter.com/AnnaZed/status/357367521348816896
margueritecore [at] gmail [dot] com
I challenge my children to follow their dreams by not trying to fit their dreams into any kind of dreams that I have or may have had. Their dreams are their own and I try to to discourage those dreams in any way. Any time they tell me what they want to be when they grow up – I try not to judge that or tell them it’s impossible or that they can’t be what they want to be. I hope by doing this they will always try to reach their dreams and not think of them as out of their capabilities.
By recognizing and embracing their individuality — not forcing my own wants on them.
I encourage my daughter to try new things–types of sports or activities and when I see she is really interested in something I push her to do the best she can at it and constantly be supportive of her in any decision she makes!
pittsy82@hotmail.com
tweeted http://twitter.com/pittsy82/status/357567543164149760
pittsy82@hotmail.com
I don’t have any kids, but I have two little cousins who I try to help guide in the right direction. I try to present them with new opportunities and activities when I see them. I want to show them the many possibilities that are out there. I want them to reach for the stars.
http://twitter.com/HiddenDarkness4/status/357654239905972224
I encourage my kids to try and do things they want and that they can do it without me holdkng their hand everh step of the way. I show them that I am there to support and help if need be, but that even at 5 and 3 the can do things.
I have two nieces and I don’t try to encourage them the way a parent would. However, I do try to inspire them and open them up to new interests by taking them on day trips to local museums, concerts, and storytelling events at the library. We participate in arts and crafts classes once a month and bake together. I spend every Saturday morning and afternoon with them while my brother and his wife work so we try to make it a fun experience and I always applaud their efforts! Hopefully they feel comfortable enough to get excited over trying new things at other times! 🙂
deeg131 at gmail dot com
tweeted http://twitter.com/DeeGee13/status/357715219801325568
deeg131 at gmail dot com
I encourage them by not letting them say that they cant do something
Encourage kids to try new things at least once and see how they like it.
I try to speak as positively as possible and not knock down their ideas.
chambanachik at gmail dot com
i let my son explore what he wants to, encouraging him to try it all!
tweet
http://twitter.com/raggammuffin/status/358929301036482561
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lolsgag.com
My hubby and I are both teachers, so we try to instill following your dreams in our children daily. We try to give them new experiences and foster any interests they have.
Dmoretti1967 at yahoo dot com
Tweet
http://twitter.com/boyzrule1/status/359146184306200576
Dmoretti1967 at yahoo dot com
I encourage and support them to experience all they like, enjoy the process of trial and error. It was not always pleasant and smooth, however I do believe you got to give them chances to grow.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
-http://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/359151867571347456
My son has gross motor development delays, so this is a particularly tough question for me. I want to encourage him to play soccer, or play on the playground, but I also don’t want him to be hurt (either by falling down or by kids bluntly asking why he can’t do what they can). But he is brave without realizing it! On a playground, if other kids are going up a ladder he doesn’t want to climb, or down a slide he doesn’t want to go down, he finds the stairs. He works so hard to dribble the soccer ball, but when it shoots off across the field, he just runs after it laughing. I think the best way I can encourage him to be brave is to be be brave myself! Instead of imagining all the ways he could be hurt, I remember all the wonderful lessons he will learn by trying something new.
I tell them I’m proud of them. Encourage them to spend their time doing things at which they feel competent and valued
navygravY@hotmail.com
navygravY@hotmail.com
http://twitter.com/Merle0304/status/359723822968078336
One of the biggest ways we encourage our son is by just getting out of his way. I try to limit “No”s to safety issues as much as possible and give him plenty of free time to play how and with what he wants and to just explore. My answer to your prompt when discussing with my husband was “We allow {our son} to follow his dreams. That’s why he walks in his sleep!” 🙂
i think the key is to have them try many things, whether it’s in the arts, sports, or intellectual pursuits, and see what they spark to or are good at–even if it’s not necessarily what you desire. it’s best that they find something that they’re passionate about, not what they feel pushed into doing!
kolpin4680 at gmail dot com
tweeted
http://twitter.com/kolpin4680/status/360599175836078080
I challenge my children to follow their dreams by giving positive reinforcement, motivating them often, and enrolling them in classes or teams that help make those dreams become more a reality. Thanks.
partymix25(at)hotmail(dot)com
We have a motto in our household that I constantly tell my cautious child: nothing worth doing is easy. I remind my child often that hard work and perseverance pay off and reap big rewards, whereas the things that come easy don’t give us much sense of accomplishment. My child’s dreams might seem far away and difficult to obtain, but when it seems like the impossible, that’s when we say our motto out loud. It reminds us that we can get there, we just have to keep working at it.
Tweeted! 🙂 http://twitter.com/StacieMSweeps/status/362086429062475777
I don’t have kids, but my parents always told us that they supported us in any thing we tried, and the only thing we risked was not trying.
lorenalke@yahoo.com
I encourage my kids by supporting them in whatever they want to do. I tell them to have confidence in themselves.
Love3570@aol.com
I let them pursue whatever they want within limits.
tamarsweeps-at-gmail-dot-com
I challenge them by always supporting them.
I support and encourage
By creating dreams to begin with! I turn off the TV and make them play outside. Their dreams are going to come from within and with distractions like TV (which does have a place, just not all of the time) it’s hard to foster that drive and imagination to chase their dream
jmcharries@cox.net
http://twitter.com/JCHARRIES/status/364168729598242819
jmcharries@cox.net
I encourage my son to do his best and follow his own interests. The first book he asked to purchase was the coonhunters handbook.
mrsrodjac at hotmail dot com
http://twitter.com/jacksondeb/status/364184817551671296`
I try to have positive role models in their life.
rhoneygtn at yahoo dot com
Tweeted: http://twitter.com/rhoneygee/status/364298453314056192
rhoneygtn at yahoo dot com
I support and encourage them to follow their dream. 🙂
HilLesha(at)twc(dot)com
I let her know anything that is worth fighting for will take a lot of work and determination. Don’t stop until you feel accomplished.
we try to expose them to different opportunities to find out what they like
I challenge them by exploring different opportunities and pursuing the ones they become passionate about.
All they have to do is look at my brother and they aim higher Rosanne rosans4@comcast.net
Tweeted: http://twitter.com/rosannepm/status/364934921887809536 Rosanne rosans4@comcast.net
I just encourage them to try and to do their very best. thank you!
crystalfaulkner2000 at yahoo dot com
daily encouragement and rewards
My children both have special needs. I encourage them to try new things, even when it’s scary to them.
I encourage my sons to believe in themselves, try new things and to keep the faith.
Diane Baum
esldiane@gmail.com
dream big, don’t give up and don’t listen to anyone.
groogruxking40 at gmail dot com
I give my daughter the freedom to try things in a different way and use her imagination.
cgies25 at hotmail
I sit with my kids once a month to make a schedule, and I love when they have tons of feedback! IT’s something to look forward to every month, even if it is as small as a trip to the library or learning a new sport!
I also show my kids that hard work pays off, my husband and I are in the process of opening our own business, so the kids really see how things can happen if you really try!
onecheaplady@yahoo.com
I challenge my daughter to follow her dreams by letting her explore things one step at a time. I encourage her by letting her know that she will never know how much she loves something until she gives it a try. Now she is brave and tries everything at least once and I’m SO PROUD of her. A great example would be swimming. She was initially hesitate to go into the water but after trying it once, she loves it just as much as a fish loves water! :o)
I tell my kids they can do anything they want and not to listen to rude people that tell them otherwise.
I encourage my kids by being their biggest and loudest cheerleader! I always let them know that anything can be accomplished if you work hard enough at it and I support them every step of the way!!
Brittney House BBrittBrat1398@yahoo.com
i encourage them to go after anything they want. I have them participate in anything that interests them
stigay at Comcast.net
I encourage my daughter to work at her piano practice.
aleksnearing gmail com
I challenge my kids to follow their dreams by being encouraging and supporting in their imaginative playtime and teaching them that anything is possible when they work hard and dilligently towards a specific goal.
I tweeted
http://twitter.com/kissxmonkeybutt/status/366265216465510401
I teach them things I know will help in the future
star95011atyahoodotcom
I challenge my children by encouraging them to try new things
I try to show by example and be their best support.
by allowing them to openly explore life
i encourage their interests
jen gersch
INTIME@myself.com
I tell them to do their best.
MCantu1019 at aol dot com
We teach them that it’s alright to fail and they can try as many times as they want !!
ktgonyea at gmail dot com
i do not have kids but i live when my nephew learn somehing new and trying to find his way in the world
http://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/366661995656790017
I encourage them by helping them build confidence in themselves.
tweet: http://twitter.com/pauline15/status/366747499056201728
pauline15_01(at)Hotmail(dot)com
I help my kids by opening them up to new opportunities. For example, my son loves playing video games which would sometimes drive me crazy since I would have to yell to get him off of the PS3. So this summer, instead of yelling, I signed him up for a summer computer programming camp for kids at our local University and it’s been awesome! He’s programmed his own ninja video game and has found something that he truly loves and wants to continue learning about!
pauline15_01(at)Hotmail(dot)com
My children are adults now but I always tried to find ways to let them achieve small steps on the way to a big goal.
willitara [at] gmail [dot] com
I tell them to always try their best and to never give up. I always make sure to support them.
motioncitycutie(at)aol(dot)com
I encourage them to tell me anything. And when they do, I never ever talk them down.
jbodawg at outlook dot com
Tweet – http://twitter.com/willitara/status/366836606117748736
willitara [at] gmail [dot] com
I encourage my daughter by helping her find events that follow her interests and even help participate too.
dolniaks at consolidated dot net
http://twitter.com/smilekisses/status/366840503142064128
dolniaks at consolidated dot net
I encourage my kids by letting them know how well they are doing and teaching them not to give up when times get rough.
I tweeted here http://twitter.com/tracyparral/status/366870295254024193
I want to use the Suave Skin Solutions Advanced Therapy Lotion.
i would soften my skin with the Suave Skin Solutions Advanced Therapy Lotion
susansmoaks at gmail dot com
I encourage all three of my kids with positive reinforcements
I encourage all three of my kids to try things and let them know I believe in them
http://twitter.com/eaglesforjack/status/367004077382582273
By encouraging them to follow their dreams, try different things and to challenge themselves
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
http://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/367008772410978304
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I tell my kids they can be anything they want if they put the hard work in.
rounder9834 @yahoo.com
http://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/367015784855240704
rounder9834 @yahoo.com
I always tell them to believe in themselves and that you wont know if you like something or not unless you try it!
pokergrl8 at gmail.com
http://twitter.com/aes529/status/367016682356604930
pokergrl8 at gmail.com
We encourage our boys to try whatever they think they would like to do. Sometimes they realize it’s not for them. As in the case with karate. But sometimes it’s something that becomes a passion, like baseball. As long as they find something they really care about it and give it their all, we are happy.
tweet http://twitter.com/eswright18/status/367018614580183041
My daughters both showed an interest in music. To encourage them to in that area, we bought several musical instruments: flute, saxophone, guitars, a piano, and a drum set. Now, the oldest is a successful music education major in college.
we homeschool so our kids can focus on subjects that they enjoy and have opportunities to follow their own dreams in life
pryfamily5@gmail.com
tweeted http://twitter.com/pryfamily5/status/367083463758725120
pryfamily5@gmail.com
I tell my children that they can be whatever they want to be in life.
Jennifer Marie
lilnursejen at yahoo dot com
tweeted
http://twitter.com/JenniferCNP/status/367092698475266049
Jennifer Marie
lilnursejen at yahoo dot com
Encourage their creativity and allow them to dream big!
danielle4sweeps@gmail.com
I encourage him to try new things by exposing him to many new things – granted he’s only 8 months, but new book, new toys, new textures, rain on his skin, puddles after the warm summer storms, sandy beaches etc
By doing what makes them truly happy. If they find true joy in doing something, I never get in the way of that.
http://twitter.com/methhamfetabean/status/489560307891568640