How To Raise Kids Who Cope

We live in a world that's filled with awful realities. How can we raise happy children that cope without manipulating the reality we live in? The writers at Lies About Parenting have some ideas.

Here are 8 ways you can help your child learn to cope with life:

1. Only liars lie.

How often do we lie to our kids to protect their feelings? What are we really teaching them when we do that?

Don’t pretend that your son’s best friend is going to the dentist when he’s really going to a birthday party that your son wasn’t invited to.

Take the opportunity to explain that everyone doesn’t get invited and that’s just life.

Be honest! You’ll be surprised at the inner strength he displays – given the chance.

2. Losers lose.

Just don’t let her win all the time. Even chess masters don’t win all the time.

She’ll learn to live when her adrenaline is pumping and she’ll desperately want to win… but she won’t. Someone else will.

They will beat her fair and square and that’s how games (and life) go.

Teach her to say, “good game!”, with a smile plastered on her face, and move on.

I'm a big fan of this one. We all know it's not good to teach our kids that they get to win just because they're cute.

3. Kill the copycat.

In other words, stop killing yourself to keep up with the Joneses. It's not worth it. It's actually a really bad idea.

Show your kids that some people have more material things and some people have less. It’s an opportunity to learn gratitude for what he does have.

It’s an opportunity to understand that things aren’t the baseline for happiness.

4. Believe in boredom.

Wonderful ideas are born out of boredom. You aren’t outfitted with a personal jester that pops out of the hall closet to make you laugh whenever you’re bored or lonely.

Now if I could only figure out how to get my kid to stop pestering me when he's bored… that would be awesome! Seriously though, he has an excellent imagination and I think that's because I let him get bored.

5. Honesty is the best policy.

Don't lie to your kids.

Newsflash- it’s not good to lie to kids about their weaknesses. You are not being cruel by being honest with your child about where their current talents do (or don’t) lie. If they are pitiful at basketball and devastated time after time when they don’t make the team, they have two options. Dedicate more effort and find a different sport.

6. You will go, Kid! (even if you don't want to)

Odds are that most of your days revolve around them, so let them take one for the team and return the favor from time to time.

As my mom would say, it never killed anyone did it?

7. Sharing sucks.

When your coworker shows up with a shiny new Apple Watch and you’re dying to put that sucker on, do you throw yourself on the floor crying until she lets you have it?

Of course not! If that worked IRL, life would be one big pile of temper tantrums and tears.

We are not entitled to other people’s possessions just ‘cause.

Stop making kids share. Let them figure it out for themselves. You'll be happy you did.

8. Timberrrr!

The case for letting children climb is strong. The case for staying out of their way on the playground is even stronger.

And if they fall? Lesson learned.

This is the one rule for teaching kids how to cope that I just don't know if I can follow. The author jokes about popping a Xanex to be able to follow through on this one. That would totally be me. Right after that, I'm fairly certain I'd be in the emergency room waiting for them to cast my kid's arm. That's an expensive lesson. I'll just keep screaming “Be careful!” Besides, my kid thinks be careful is synonymous with “I love you” these days.

Need to learn more about teaching kids to cope even when you're not so great at it yourself? Check out the complete article at Lies About Parenting. Then tell me your favorite “rule” in the comment section.