"The Pause" - the key to Problem Solving, Independence, Confidence and Grit!

By now you probably know who Dr. Adele Diamond is. She was educated Swarthmore, Harvard and Yale and is recognized as one of the 15 most influential neuroscientists live today.  Here she provides perspective on why our first reaction to our child struggling, even though we don't want to see them suffer and want to jump in and help, should be to Pause.

We as parents and caregivers need to exercise our executive functions (the field Dr. Diamond pioneered)  and restrain ourselves from helping. Instead, we need to empathetically observe and supportively scaffold our children's ability to persevere and find their own reward in struggling, preserving (the development of grit) and achieving.