M is for Mistakes.
Mistakes. I always thought they were bad. Growing up I avoided mistakes like the plague. I hid them, even lied about them when I was little.
But as I have grown into an adult and began homeschooling my children I realized that mistakes are to be celebrated. They are a sign that you are trying to learn. When you make a mistake, you are showing that you are making an effort and that it is not easy for you.
The best part is when you see your child pass through the mistake phase and sail into mastery. It doesn’t matter what the subject is. It could be conquering spelling or multiplication tables. The more mistakes your child makes, the more he must learn to persevere and dedicate himself to understanding and finally mastery.
And that is why I think mistakes are not to be hidden away behind your bed. They are a good sign. You tried, and you will try again until you understand. Through the process you gain some humility and self confidence that you would never have without all those mistakes.
So the next time your child makes a mistake, instead of getting out the red pen to mark the question wrong, wouldn’t it be better to sit down with her and say, “Wow you did a great job until you got to this spot here! Why don’t we work through it together and I will show you how to get past that mistake. Then you can try again by yourself and I know if you keep at it you will master this in no time!”
3 Responses
My kids are so hard on themselves when they make a mistake… I just keep trying to remind them that EVERYONE makes mistakes. Mistakes mean you’re trying and learning and growing! Hopefully it will sink in one day.
My 4 year old hates making mistakes. For the longest time he didn’t want to try using scissors because he wasn’t getting it. Every few weeks I would ask if he wanted to try and show him the way to hold them. Within the last few weeks he has finally gotten the hang of it. His technique isn’t perfect but he cut up tons of little pieces of paper today for his sister to pick up. I hope continues to work through his ‘mistakes.’
Perfectionism is running rampant in our culture of instant gratification. It is a hard beast to tame and I see it constantly in myself, as well as my children. Those things that we often title mistakes are really nothing more than the learning process, which you so beautifully wrote here. Thank you for sharing your wisdom regarding these things we all have to learn to cope with.