- Their sweet three-year-old is jealous of the new baby.
- Their clingy five-year-old still uses a bottle and diapers.
- Their anxious eight-year-old is stuck in school-refusal.
- Their defiant twelve-year-old won't get off the phone.
- Their checked-out fifteen-year-old is starting to vape.
I help kids and parents navigate life's little (and big) hardships.
When they come to me, both the parents and the kids are feeling like their challenges are bigger than the skillsets they currently have to handle them.
By the time we're done, their skills outshine their challenges, making everyday life far more navigable.
This is the magic of RESILIENCE.
Different problems? Yes, BUT...
THINGS LIKE:
But how can we teach our kids resilience when we are already doing so much?
We can't do more. We're... EXHAUSTED.
Make sure they get at least 8-10 hours of sleep
No wonder we're so exhausted, worried and lonely. Listen to the messages we get told on a near constant basis:
That child needs manners!
Get them off that iPad!
Make sure they get plenty of time in nature!
Don't forget the sunscreen!
Yelling will traumatize them
You have to listen to their every feeling or they'll be messed up.
Why is she still sleeping in your room?
I'd never let my teenager talk to me that way!
They need more independence or they'll be messed up.
He's hitting because YOU don't give him consequences!
One big family meal every day!
You should be reading to them every night.
Make sure you are taking care of you!
Have you gotten a diagnosis yet?
Because you know what it takes to get that toddler to eat the rainbow?
We're trying to solve too many problems and not the ONE that would solve almost all of them at once.
WE'RE TRYING!!! And IT'S NOT WORKING. ALL THESE SHOULDS ARE HURTING US.
You know what it takes to get that kid off the iPad and playing sports outside?
You know what it takes to get that teenager to do their homework?
That toddler has to be willing to experience unfamiliar tastes, overcome possible sensory issues, and practice self care. You know what all those things require? RESILIENCE.
That child has to know how to delay gratification, deal with disappointment, and exhibit cognitive flexibility just to get off the screen. Then to actually play the game, they have to deal with the pressure of everyone else's expectations for the team, and maybe even some intense friendship dynamics among the players. All of those will require RESILIENCE.
That teenager has to be willing to do hard things, even when they'd rather be doing fun things. They have to forsake perfection and be willing to be "good enough". They have to plan out their schedule using executive function skills that are still just developing, and they may even have to overcome social anxiety to ask for help. Guess what each of those steps require? Yep, you guessed it: RESILIENCE.
My name is Abigail Wald. And I know a thing or two about
resilience.
This is a picture of my 6-month-old son playing with wires from his open heart surgery. Thank God, today he is a strong and happy 17-year-old who hikes and bikes, loves motorcycles, and wants to fly a plane someday!
Throughout these years, he, his brother, my husband and I have all had to learn a lot about what it takes to overcome adversity.
Once we were mostly out of the woods, I quickly learned that "regular" parenting was hard too! We had to learn how to work with anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, both of my kids' strong-willed and highly sensitive temperaments, and my own intergenerational trauma.
It was not easy but I was determined to have our family rise up to the occasion. We all learned how to build resiliency, and cultivate a growth mindset. Today, each of these challenges has made us better, kinder, more whole humans.
I have now been doing this work for over 11 years and have received over 1000 spontaneous letters of gratitude from the families who have redesigned their lives using this approach. They now enjoy greater resilience and so much more ease in almost every corner of their parenting lives and I continue to be inspired by their amazing stories of transformation.
So is resilience something you're just born with?
No. It is learned. And
Here are some pics of our community:
learning it changes lives.
So is resilience something you're just born with?
No. It is learned. And
How exactly have I been able to transform so many families' lives?
I apply Stanford's Design Thinking Process to the world of parenting. The result? An exclusive, one of a kind, fully designed personal roadmap of your very best version of these years, for both you and your kids.
Every month our movement grows, as I share this new approach with parents from all over the world, including the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Bahrain, and Switzerland.
I hope to celebrate your story too one day. 💛
- A teenager who was off the rails, and going downhill fast, got herself back in school. She is now coming home early, before curfew, and spending time again with her parents
- Sibling rivalry that was so bad it genuinely scared the mom, but has now transformed into this same boy actively wanting to give his sister hugs and kisses
- A super picky eater who recently made a plate of mushrooms and hummus for her mom, and then ate some!
- A family who could barely drop their son off at school, whose kid now skips in
- A child with ADHD who no longer allows that to define what's possible for him, but instead uses his diagnosis to define HOW he gets there instead
- This kid battled anxiety on a camping trip, and WON!
- Plus thousands more stories, just like these!
Here are just some of the amazing stories of transformation that have happened in our community, in a matter of mere months:
PARENTS HELPED
COUNTRIES SERVED
PODCAST Downloads
LETTERS OF GRATITUDE
CLOSE
PLUS 4 quick Takeaways that will help you feel less like a sandwich maker and more like a soul shaper.
