Observing natural leadership qualities in children early can help parents, teachers, and caregivers encourage and develop those important life skills.
If you want to identify and support your child’s leadership qualities, here are some signs to consider:
Talkative
Does it sometimes drive you crazy that your child talks so much? Actually, being talkative may be a sign of things to come. A chatty nature indicates a child with excellent verbal skills, which are important for good leaders. Did your child talk early and proficiently? This may be a sign that he or she will be a good leader.
Treats Others with Respect
If you notice that your child seems to end up in responsible positions – team captain, for instance – and you know he didn’t get that position because of “muscling” his way to the top or bullying others, then this may be a sign of leadership ability. Notice if your child seems to have others “gravitate” toward her and wish to emulate her. Take note as to whether or not this is due to respectful treatment. If it is, you may have a strong leader on your hands.
Sees Both Sides
Some kids exhibit an ability to understand both sides of an issue, rather than being overly committed to one point of view. These children often act as peacekeepers who help their peers find an agreeable middle ground.
In the Know
Does your child always know what’s going on? Is he or she always aware of the latest happening at school or in the family? This is not the same as being a gossip (that’s not a good leadership quality), but it does mean that he or she is paying attention and interested in what’s going on with others.
Inquisitive
A good leader is not afraid to ask questions, but he/she is not afraid to go looking for answers on his own, either. Too much questioning may indicate self-doubt – your child is always trying to make sure about things – but healthy questions that spring from a true desire to know more about something may be a sign of leadership ability.
You can’t control what happens to you—but you can always choose contentment. Here’s how to start today.
Have you ever been in a tough situation and felt really good? If you shared your lousy set of circumstances with others, they might have remarked on what they saw as an inappropriate attitude. Is it really inappropriate, though? Why not choose to be upbeat when times are tough?
Life can be hard. Sometimes your life is going along splendidly, and then you are dealt the worst possible cards out of nowhere. You have to deal with some setbacks or losses. What happened was out of your control. You couldn’t stop it and certainly didn’t see it coming.
What do you do now? How are you going to get past this devastating experience?
You can let that difficulty wreck your emotions. People sometimes have such a hard time overcoming a traumatic event that it cripples them for the rest of their lives. Instead, you can choose that you are going to recover. At first, this may seem impossible. However, when you consciously choose to move past one of life’s great difficulties, that’s the first step to eventual recovery.
Contentment is the same way. It’s all about choice.
You may have a tough set of circumstances. There may not be the possibility of your circumstances changing for a very long time. In this situation, why not choose to be happy and think good thoughts? If you know the details of your situation may not change for the better any time soon, why not choose happiness over sadness?
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Our Busy, Fast-Paced World
The modern world is always begging for more. You can give everything you’ve got, and it will expect you to produce more effort. It constantly tells you that you’re not good enough and you must consistently strive to be better than you currently are.
The distractions you get daily simply moving through your daily routine are constant. So many things going on around you are out of your control. This leads to experiences you didn’t ask for.
When these negative situations enter your life, you must deal with them. Ignoring them might make them worse, and ignorance never solves any problem. While you can’t control much of what happens to you, there is one thing you can control.
Think about your daily life. What are the top three external pressures or distractions that affect your sense of peace?
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You Always Have a Choice
Happiness is short-term. You smile or laugh at something, and then just as quickly as it appears that short-term dose of joy is gone. Contentment lasts long-term. It’s about accepting who you are, all you have right now, and your place in the world. You are enough right now. Don’t believe the constant barrage of messages saying you need to buy more, be more, and experience more.
Happiness is great. You should have a lot of happy moments in your life. Contentment is what you should strive for because it’s long-lasting. Accept yourself for who you are, giving you a better appreciation of yourself and the world. You choose positive feelings and emotions rather than despair and stress when things don’t go your way.
Life is going to catch you off-guard. That’s a truth you need to wrap your mind around. When it does, choose hope and happiness, and contentment. You can’t always control what happens to you, but you can always control how you decide to feel about it.
Reflection Exercises
Understanding Happiness vs. Contentment
What is the difference between happiness and contentment in your own words?
Think of a recent moment when you felt happy. How long did that feeling last?
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Choosing Your Response
Describe a challenging situation you’re currently facing or have faced recently.
How did you initially react to this situation?
Looking back, how could you choose to respond differently to create more contentment?
Your Contentment Action Plan
Recognizing What You Can’t Control
List three things in your life that are currently outside your control:
For each item above, write how you can choose to respond with contentment instead of stress:
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Affirming Your Enough-ness
The modern world constantly tells you that you’re not enough. But the truth is different. Complete this affirmation by filling in what makes you enough right now:
I am enough because:
Daily Contentment Practice
Remember: You can’t always control what happens to you, but you can always control how you decide to feel about it.
Use this tracker to practice choosing contentment each day for the next week. When something challenging happens, pause and consciously choose your response.
Day
What challenged me & how I chose to respond
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
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Weekly Reflection
After practicing for a week, what have you learned about choosing contentment?
What will you continue doing to maintain contentment in your daily life?
Life is unpredictable—but your response doesn’t have to be. This simple contentment guide helps you:
✔ Let go of what you can’t control ✔ Choose peace during tough moments ✔ Build daily habits for lasting calm
Because contentment isn’t luck — it’s a skill you can practice.
Since it is widely agreed upon in the educational and child development communities that early recognition of the characteristics of a gifted child, is a key factory in successfully developing the child, it is important for the parent to have at least a general understanding of these gifted characteristics. First of all in order to be classified as a gifted child, the child must have the ability to perform at a level that is significantly beyond other children of like age. O.K. So, for a parent, what might this look like or what should I look for in my child?
Of course, every child is endowed with unique capabilities and has the potential for maximizing these qualities.
The following are some guidelines to help your awareness when it comes to recognizing the characteristics of a gifted child. Keep in mind that there are varying levels of giftedness, as you view the guidelines.
Cognitive Skills (thinking or though processing)
Ability to master new skills with extraordinary speed. A deeper knowledge than other children the same age. Extraordinary memory and recall of events, facts, and/or figures. Advanced creativity and ability to improvise. Acute alertness to their surroundings. Advanced or more complex sense of humor.
Learning Patterns
Great and constant curiosity along with high level of motivation to learn. As a result of the previous, being bored easily if not challenged Advanced ability to stay focused or lengthy attention span. Even with more difficult topics. Advance organizational or planning skills. Advance logic and problem solving skills.
Speech and Language
Well developed word vocabulary and language compared to children of the same age. Creative uses of words and sentence structure and again, sense of humor. Ability to adapt their use of the language to a given level to fit the situation. Ability to understand and carry out complex instructions. General advanced ability in reading, writing, and working with numbers.
Social
Sensitivity to other s feelings Use of their advance language skills to resolve conflict or debate. Organize and direct behavior of other children (may seem bossy to other children). Many times will feel more at home with older children. May have high expectations of themselves (and others) that can lead to frustration and even anger.
Other
A generally high aptitude for logical problems, games, puzzles, or any type of problem solving or activity that requires creative thinking and reaction.
Final Note: Although these characteristics of a gifted child may provide you with some initial insight and understanding, it is important to seek a formal assessment of your child in this area if you feel that your child exhibits several of these characteristics.
Why This Course Matters Helping your kids develop resilience and independence is a challenge—especially when peer pressure enters the picture. This course is designed to give parents the tools to: • Raise strong, self-assured kids who can handle pressure with grace. • Support your child’s unique personality and interests without losing confidence. • Feel empowered to tackle common parenting challenges with guidance and ease.
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Teaching critical thinking to children in elementary school is crucial for their overall development and future success. Here are a few reasons why it is important:
Enhanced Problem-Solving Skills: Critical thinking equips children with the ability to identify, analyze, and solve problems creatively. By encouraging them to think critically, we empower them to approach challenges with a logical and analytical mindset. This skill is not only beneficial during their academic years but also helps them navigate real-life situations effectively.
Promotes Independent Thinking: Teaching critical thinking encourages children to question information, sources, and perspectives. They learn to evaluate evidence, form their own opinions, and make informed decisions. This fosters independence of thought, empowering children to rely on their own judgment rather than simply accepting what they are told.
Develops Analytical Abilities: Critical thinking helps children develop strong analytical skills. They learn to break down complex problems into smaller manageable parts, analyze each part individually, and then synthesize the information to form a coherent understanding. This process of analysis develops their ability to assess situations objectively and make logical connections.
Encourages Curiosity and Creativity: When children are taught critical thinking, they naturally become more curious and open-minded. They learn to ask questions, explore various possibilities, and seek a deeper understanding of the world around them. This curiosity fuels their creativity and enables them to think outside the box, fostering innovation and originality.
Prepares for the Future: In today’s rapidly evolving world, critical thinking skills are more important than ever. As children grow up, they will encounter new challenges, diverse perspectives, and complex issues. By nurturing their critical thinking abilities from an early age, we equip them with the skills necessary to adapt, problem-solve, and thrive in an increasingly complex and dynamic society.
In conclusion, teaching critical thinking to children in elementary school is essential for their intellectual growth and overall development. It empowers them to think independently, make informed decisions, and face challenges with confidence. By fostering critical thinking skills, we prepare them for a future where adaptability, creativity, and analytical abilities are highly valued.
Publisher’s Book Summary: Many of us did everything we could to prepare for becoming moms, but there just wasn’t any way to know what might lie ahead. Most of us have, at one point or another, looked around and wondered if we are alone in our parenting challenges. Hope for Moms offers a heartfelt guide for mothers navigating both the joys and heartbreak of being a mom, sharing Anna McArthur’s personal journey through parenting difficulties such as learning disabilities, LGBTQ+ identities, and adoption. Structured around a triage plan that helped the author prioritize her family’s needs, it includes practical insights, quotes, and reflection questions to support moms in their journey of resilience and soul care. With gentleness and humor, McArthur provides reassurance to mothers, reminding them they have the strength to not only survive motherhood, but thrive.
McArthur provides reassurance to mothers, reminding them they have the strength to not only survive motherhood, but thrive. If you’re a mom who feels overwhelmed by the curveballs life has thrown your way, you aren’t alone—yes, it’s tough out there, but so are you!
Anna McArthur is a mom to four kids, including two recent college graduates and twin girls who are high schoolers. She is a blogger, newspaper guest columnist, and contributor to parenting magazines and websites, including Her View from Home and the Motherly Collective. Anna’s essays have recently been published by Grown and Flown and Business Insider.
A graduate of Clemson University and Columbia Theological Seminary, Anna lives in Athens, Georgia, with her husband, Bryan, and their teenaged girls, who are much cooler than her. Anna loves to read, garden, hike, and eat dips for dinner.
Hope for Moms: It’s Tough Out There, but So Are You Written by: Anna McArthur
A book written from the heart by a mom who has faced social-emotional challenges, physical disabilities, and financial distress while raising her family. Any parent will attest to the fact that parenting is one job that comes without a playbook or set of rules. McArthur shares her difficult journey in the hope that her experiences and difficult lessons will benefit other families.
She reminds moms that it is okay to accept help from others, to stop expecting perfect kids, and to be realistic in your hopes and dreams. Instead, understand that moms cannot protect themselves or their children from heartaches or disappointments. The author reminds the reader that raising a family is hard for all of us.
All parents make mistakes; it is more important to keep trying. Stop comparing your parenting style to others. Find the things that make your family unique. Do not compare your family to others. As children grow older and become more independent, moms must learn to listen more than talk. The best solution is to keep an open mind and keep learning.
I highly recommend this book for new parents as well as those facing challenges.
GIVEAWAY
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Daily Confidence Boosters Checklist Goal: Help your child build confidence through daily, simple actions that promote self-awareness, self-expression, and resilience.
Encourage Self-Expression • How: Give your child a chance to express themselves creatively each day, whether through drawing, writing, dancing, or speaking up about their feelings. • Why: Self-expression is key to developing a strong sense of identity and confidence in their own voice.
Morning Affirmations • How: Encourage your child to start their day with a positive statement. They can say something like, “I am strong, I am kind, I can do hard things.” • Why: Affirmations set a positive tone for the day, helping children build a mindset of self-belief and optimism.
Small Wins Celebration • How: At the end of the day, ask your child to share one thing they accomplished, no matter how small (e.g., “I finished my homework on time” or “I was kind to my friend”). • Why: Recognizing small successes builds momentum, reinforcing the idea that progress happens one step at a time.
“Challenge of the Day” • How: Introduce a fun, simple challenge each morning. Examples include: “Try to help someone today” or “Try to ask a question when you don’t know something.” • Why: Overcoming small challenges teaches children resilience and encourages problem-solving skills.
Body Language Power Pose • How: Teach your child to stand in a “power pose” for a few seconds each day—legs apart, hands on hips, standing tall. Do this before school or big events (like tests or presentations). • Why: Body language can have a huge impact on confidence. This quick physical exercise helps them feel strong and capable.
Kindness Check • How: Ask your child, “What kind thing did you do for someone else today?” or “How were you kind to yourself today?” • Why: Acts of kindness, whether for others or themselves, build emotional strength and empathy, both of which are essential to self-confidence.
“I’m Grateful For…” Journal • How: Encourage your child to write down one thing they are grateful for each day, even if it’s just something small. • Why: Focusing on gratitude helps shift their mindset away from what’s missing and towards what’s already good in their life, promoting a positive, resilient outlook.
Compliment Swap • How: Make it a daily habit to share compliments with each other as a family. You can go around the dinner table and say one nice thing about someone. • Why: Giving and receiving compliments helps children recognize their own strengths and the strengths of others.
Try Something New • How: Ask your child to try something new every day, even if it’s small, like trying a new food or solving a different type of puzzle. • Why: Trying new things helps them get comfortable with taking risks, learning, and expanding their comfort zone—all crucial for building confidence.
“Bounce Back” Reflection • How: At the end of the day, reflect with your child on something that didn’t go as planned. Discuss how they handled it and what they learned. • Why: This teaches children that setbacks are part of life and provides a chance to learn resilience and perseverance.
How to Use This Checklist:
• Age-Appropriate: Tailor these activities based on your child’s age and personality. • Consistency is Key: Pick a few of these to try each day, and be consistent over time. Little habits build big confidence! • Reflection Together: Spend a few minutes talking with your child about how they felt after each activity to deepen the experience.
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This is the first in a series of articles dedicated to helping parents raise happy, confident and successful children.
5 tips to help tweens and teens resist peer pressure.
Talking to children about resisting peer pressure is crucial for helping them develop strong self-esteem and decision-making skills. Here are five tips that can guide parents in these important conversations:
1.Foster Open Communication:
Create an environment where your child feels comfortable sharing their feelings and experiences with you. Start conversations about their day, their friends, and any concerns they have. Encourage them to express themselves freely without fear of judgment. This open line of communication can make it easier for them to come to you when they’re facing peer pressure.
2.Role-Play Scenarios:
Help your child prepare for potential peer pressure situations through role-playing. Discuss different scenarios they might encounter, such as being offered drugs, being encouraged to skip class, or facing pressure to bully someone. Practice how they can respond assertively. For example, they can learn to say “No, thanks, I’m not interested” or “I’d rather not do that, let’s do something else instead.” This rehearsal can make them feel more confident in real situations.
3.Discuss the Importance of Individuality:
Emphasize the value of being true to oneself. Talk about the importance of having personal values and sticking to them, even when it’s hard. Share stories of people, possibly even from your own life, who stood up for what they believed in. Highlight how respecting their own feelings and thoughts above others’ expectations is a sign of strength and maturity.
4.Teach Critical Thinking Skills:
Encourage your child to think critically about the motives behind peer pressure and the potential consequences of giving in. Ask them questions like, “Why do you think they’re pressuring you to do this?” and “What could happen if you follow along?” This can help them assess situations more effectively and make decisions that are in their best interest.
5.Build Their Self-Esteem:
Children with high self-esteem are more likely to resist peer pressure because they value their own opinions over fitting in with the crowd. Celebrate their achievements, encourage their interests, and support them through challenges. Make sure they know they’re loved and valued for who they are, not for conforming to what others think they should be.
Remember, resisting peer pressure is a skill that needs to be nurtured over time. By using these tips, you can equip your child with the tools they need to stand up for themselves and make choices that are right for them.
June 13, 2026
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