Episode 588: Please Don't Give Up

Please Don’t Give Up

When your child says, “I hate this. I don’t want to do it anymore,” when do you listen... and when do you keep pushing?

In this Whinypaluza Wednesday, Rebecca and Seth get very real about that question as they share the ongoing adventure of teaching Ella to drive.

Ella does not love driving. Actually, she really does not love driving.

That immediately brought Rebecca back to another experience from Ella’s childhood: learning to ride a bike. Ella hated the feeling of it, hated falling, and eventually decided she simply did not want to learn.

Now Rebecca sees a familiar pattern appearing behind the wheel.

But this time she is asking a harder parenting question.

Is letting our children walk away always supporting them?

Or are there moments when our job as parents is to help them stay with something long enough to get through the uncomfortable part?

Rebecca also shares an important realization about herself. When she initially tried to teach Ella to drive, her own anxiety made the experience harder for both of them. Seth stepped in with a completely different approach. He stayed calm, found things to praise, and helped Ella build confidence.

It worked.

But Rebecca began to wonder whether encouragement without enough challenge could only take Ella so far.