Allowing our children to experience productive struggle is crucial for building resilience.
Productive struggle in education is what it sounds like. It refers to the process by which students engage in challenging situations to foster deep understanding, critical thinking, and resilience rather than seeking quick, easy answers. It requires effort and the cultivation of new strategies. We incorporate this into our classrooms every day.
Allowing our children to experience productive struggle is crucial for building resilience. As a parent, it is natural to want to step in and help our children when they struggle. However, knowing that struggle is productive helps parents feel confident that facing difficulties can be a vital part of their child's growth in maturity and faith.
Allowing our children to struggle or face challenges and difficulties teaches them to rely on God. It provides an opportunity to invite them to pray, think deeply, seek biblical counsel, and trust in God’s provision. Practical steps such as praying together or discussing biblical passages can help parents actively support their children during these times (James 1:5).
God uses each of our struggles to be productive, not harmful. He allows challenges to build our character and mistakes to help refine us. These moments often lead to growth in humility, to the development of teachable hearts, and resilience rooted in faith in the Lord.
Ultimately, God has placed each child in specific circumstances to grow them for His purposes. If there were a better environment for their growth, He would have put them there (Romans 8:28). It's natural for parents to worry about hardships, but trusting God’s good design reassures us that walking alongside our children in difficulties is part of His plan, not a failure on our part.
By allowing children to experience appropriate challenges, we partner with God in shaping hearts that are resilient, faithful, and prepared to serve Him well—both now and in the future.
~ Natelle Austin
