As we said recently, no parent has ever successfully shielded their child from negative feelings or distress. No parent has done it and no grown adult has ever looked back at their childhood and been grateful that their parents tried. “I’m so glad Mom and Dad kept me in a bubble of sunshine and kittens, that really set me up now that I’m on my own.”
Gaslighting someone about their feelings is not, and never has been, a service.
Dr. Becky Kennedy writes In Good Inside, her wonderful book about parenting (can’t recommend it enough), that “adults whose childhood were focused mainly on happiness are not only unprepared for tough moments, they experience more discomfort in those tough moments because deep down, they think they’re doing something wrong if they can’t ‘find the happy’ and get themselves to a ‘better place.’”
We’ve talked before about Seneca’s Consolations essays where he works his friends and family through the awful grief they are experiencing. It’s important that we understand this is how the Stoics—and hopefully your kids—learn to deal with strong emotions, period. You don’t stuff it down. You don’t mask it with smiles. You don’t seek out pleasure to counterbalance it. In fact, the more you do those things, the harder time you will have in the future if even more serious or distressing things happen.
We can’t make our kids happy but we can teach them to process. And in this processing, they will learn to possess not only the secret to resilience but the key to happiness.
Ready, set, fast. HOKA is happy to bring the Mach 6 to your kids!
Delivering the same snappy ride as their adults’ style, the kids’ Mach 6 is light, fast, and undeniably comfy. Built for kids who love to fly, the Mach 6 delivers a bouncy, responsive foam in a sleek style and 5 colorways.
For the kids’ version, HOKA made the rubber outsole thicker than the adult Mach 6 and features a protective toe cap to give your children the extra durability they need.
Sourced with sustainably minded materials, free your inner speedster for daily fun and race day wins with HOKA’s Mach 6 today!
