When one thinks about that question it is easy to realize it is difficult to answer. Is success, having a fancy car, an expensive vacation, a good grade, landing a ski jump, having friends, getting into a top tier college, getting a good job, working in a group of dynamic individuals....the list could go on. So the question is: what do you consider success?
As a school counselor, success is when a child has an ahh-ha moment, has fun with Social Detective, and/or really connects to SuperFlex, or on a personal note - when I write a Blog post, having friends over for a meal, going on a daily walk, getting my taxes done, connecting with an old friend, finishing a project.... Success can be counted in so many ways.
What is success for our children? This is a tricky question. I wanted my son to be successful in school. What the heck does that mean? For me it meant that he enjoyed learning, because if he enjoyed learning he would do well. He would be successful if he was curious, because curiosity always leads people on adventures. I hoped for meaningful friendships because having good friends would mean that he had good communication skills and would be able to work collaboratively in groups, and of course I hoped he would have good grades and go to a good college.
Success means many different things at different times, how do we get there? By encouraging, modeling, and talking about those things that are important.
