• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Blog Home
  • Contact Rae
  • faqs + fyis
  • SHOP ILY by, Rae

RAE ANN KELLY

  • life + family
  • style + outfits
  • menus + recipes
  • freebies + diy
  • kids + crafts
  • outings + travel

RAISING BRAVE KIDS + HORSEBACK RIDING WITH TILLY

Oct 12, 2021kids + crafts, life + family

This first draft of this post was written the fall before all the covid-madness happened and for whatever reason, I never hit the publish button. Stumbled upon it over the weekend and decided it needed a place on the blog. Would love to know what you think in the comments!

The more comfortable we get in this world of technology, instant gratification, an abundance of comfort, and on demand entertainment, I am finding it more and more important to foster bravery in our kids. Like most things we value in life, bravery is a muscle and the more we exercise it the easier it’ll be to use when we need it. After all, without bravery, all the other character traits we try to instill in our kids will only matter when the circumstances are easy. What happens when they’re met with resistance or peer pressure? It requires bravery to pursue your dreams, to speak truth, to stand up against the crowd, and to follow your faith. It takes bravery to do hard things, good things, kind things, and worthwhile things. To the contrary, it’s the path of least resistance that leads to mediocrity and comfort that keeps us from our potential.

Last week, we decided to give Tilly an opportunity to practice bravery skills when we took her to a horse riding lesson. She had been asking about doing it not stop over the last several months but every time we asked about signing her up, she would act nervous and say no. Finally we had had enough of the back and forth and went ahead and scheduled one without her approval and I’m so glad we did. It was amazing to watch her lean into her fear, one small step at a time. First with getting to know her horse, then with listening to her instructor, and finally with climbing on and going for a little trot around the corral, which eventually lead to a full on gallop. I’ve been thinking about her experience ever since and thought I’d share a few tips, tricks, and encouragement for developing bravery in our kids. They’re below if you want to check them out!

6 TIPS FOR RAISING BRAVE KIDS

  1. Teach them habits of prayer, gratitude, and being present. Prayer keeps us connected to Jesus and his wisdom. Gratitude influences our perspective for the better. Staying in the moment keeps us from being anxious about the future, or depressed about the past.
  2. Break it down into smaller steps. Bravery is about actions, not feelings, so being able to take something that is big and intimidating and break it into actionable steps or in terms of minutes, days, or weeks will make a huge difference. This is where countdown chains or visual trackers of progress help a ton.
  3. Talk about their WHY, because it’s always bigger than their WHAT IF’S. Help them define their WHY and the benefits of doing the hard/scary thing. So often when we think about an intimidating situation we think on the negative, so switch the script!
  4. Give them a safe place to fail so they can focus on the challenge instead of the outcome. I also try to remind my kids that the opinion that matters most is God’s, not the worlds so as long as they’re following their heart and gut, they have nothing to lose!
  5. Teach them how to recognize their feelings and give them the tools to support themselves. This is one of the reasons why we love oils for emotional support. Prayer, breathing practices, and affirmations are also amazing tools to help with big feelings.
  6. Talk about people in history, the Bible, and in everyday life that have done something brave. And don’t forget to remind them of times when they were brave, too!
  7. BONUS, and probably the most important… LEAD BY EXAMPLE!

Had to dress for the occasion! Ha! Channeling my inner Beth Dutton from Yellowstone.

Any thoughts on raising brave kids? Any other parenting topics you’d want to discuss in this space?

xo, Rae

OUTFIT DETAILS (for those interested) DENIM, BOOTS (size up 1/2 if in-between), SIMILAR TOP, SIMILAR HAT

Previous Post: « STYLE CHATS: HOW TO PULL-OFF NEW TRENDS & LOOK YOUTHFUL BUT STILL GROWNUP
Next Post: NEW ESSENTIAL OIL + YOUNG LIVING UPDATES »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kristen

    Oct 14, 2021 at

    RA,
    Can we make the barn rules into a chic printable?! These are *almost* all of my mom-rules! How poinent and sharp and stinkin’ right!!

    Reply
    • rae

      Oct 20, 2021 at

      GOOD IDEA! I’ll work on it!

      Reply
  2. Kristen Ikenberry

    Oct 14, 2021 at

    **poignant
    I meant to figure out how to spell it and blew it!!

    Reply
    • rae

      Oct 20, 2021 at

      LOL

      Reply
  3. Hannah

    Oct 17, 2021 at

    Bravery has been on my heart for a long while too. We’ve been reading lots of stories of bravery with my 6yo- currently in The Hobbit. It’s given us lots of opportunities to discuss and relate to our own lives too.

    Reply
    • rae

      Oct 20, 2021 at

      Love it! I need to read that book with the kids!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

So happy you're here! I'm Rae, style enthusiast, amateur cook, graphic designer, firefighter wife, and mama of 5 (big) kids. We live in the PNW with our 12 chickens and dog, Waffles...

(READ MORE)

WARDROBE FAVES

HOME FAVORITES

WELLNESS FAVORITES

FUN POSTS

PIKE PLACE + TGIF

Uncategorized

MOM BOD: A HEALTH + FITNESS PANEL WITH SOME OF MY FAVORITES

life + family, wellness

PLAID STATEMENT COAT 3-WAYS

Uncategorized

5 THINGS + HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY

style + outfits

EASTER 2021, A RECAP

life + family

are we instagram official? you can find me @raeannkelly

BLEACHER STYLE IS MY FAVORITE SPORT 🧢⚾️ 4 o BLEACHER STYLE IS MY FAVORITE SPORT 🧢⚾️ 4 outfit ideas you can wear to alllllll the kids things. 

Shared everything at the link in my bio or head here: https://raeannkelly.com/ootd-3-bleacher-ready-outfits-for-spring-and-summer/
IT’S VANILLA SWEET CREAM SZN WITH COLD BREW (for IT’S VANILLA SWEET CREAM SZN WITH COLD BREW (for me) & CHOCOLATE MILK (for them). The recipe is below - including homemade vanilla simple syrup (so worth the extra step)! 

YOU’LL NEED:

VANILLA SIMPLE SYRUP
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

VANILLA SWEET CREAM COLD BREW
1-2 tablespoons vanilla syrup (recipe above or use store bought)
1/4 cup half and half
1-2 cups cold brew of choice

HERE’S HOW:

VANILLA SIMPLE SYRUP
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water. Stir until sugar has dissolved. (Make sure not to boil!)
Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla extract.
Store in airtight container for up to one month in the refrigerator.

VANILLA SWEET CREAM COLD BREW
OPTIONAL: Beforehand, pour cold brew into an ice cube tray and freeze.
In a large glass, prepare your cold brew (or coffee) as desired… (hopefully over ice cubes made of coffee :).
In a different glass or jar, whisk together 1-2 tablespoons of vanilla syrup and half and half, with a handheld frother (or use one whisk attachment on a handheld mixer) to desired frothiness. Pour over prepared coffee.

Serve immediately and enjoy!
💚 ZUCCHINI PARM CRISPS 💚 A new (healthy & ta 💚 ZUCCHINI PARM CRISPS 💚 A new (healthy & tasty) recipe to add to your weekend plans! Details are pasted below or use link in bio to view on our website 😋 

YOU’LL NEED:
1 medium zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
1/4 cup coconut milk (or milk of choice)
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
pinch S + P (salt and pepper)
avocado oil (spray if you have it!)
marinara sauce and/or ranch for dipping (optional)

HERE’S HOW:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment (if desired). Slice zucchini into 1/8 inch rounds.
Pour milk in a small bowl. Combine panko crumbs, parmesan, salt, and pepper in another small bowl. Dip zucchini rounds in the milk and then dredge in crumb mixture. Place on baking sheet. Repeat steps for all zucchini slices. Before placing in the oven, give a light spray or drizzle of avocado oil.
Bake in oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until brown and crispy, flipping halfway through.
Serve immediately with marinara sauce and/or ranch, for dipping.
SUMMER CAPSULE WARDROBE PART 1: on an average week SUMMER CAPSULE WARDROBE PART 1: on an average week, keep track of how you’re spending your time and what kinds of outfits you’re wearing. At the end of the week, tally everything up and then meet me back here for part ✌🏼 (!!!!!) where we’ll chat about personal style (or aesthetic - as the kids say). Find more info at the link in bio and hit the cute bell icon while you’re there, so you don’t miss anything! 🖤 xx, Rae
🤎THE 5 MINUTE NO BAKE ÉCLAIR CAKE RECIPE YOU N 🤎THE 5 MINUTE NO BAKE ÉCLAIR CAKE RECIPE YOU NEEEEEED🤎 My mom deserves all the credit for this recipe that she’s been making for my birthday (I hate the usual kind of cake) since I was little. Recipe below or at the link in bio!

YOU’LL NEED:
2 3.5 ounce packages of instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups whole milk
8 ounces whipped topping (like cool whip), thawed
2 sleeves graham cracker rectangles
1 package mini chocolate chips (or cc of choice)
HERE’S HOW:
Whisk or hand mix pudding, whole milk, and whipped topping. Set aside.
In a 9×11 in dish or similar size dish or serving bowl, place a single layer of graham crackers – breaking pieces as needed. On top of the graham crackers, spread half of the whipped pudding mixture, evenly. On top of that, add another layer of graham crackers and then the remaining whipped mixture.
Top with chocolate chips as desired, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours (or overnight) before serving.
Notes
The longer you chill, the softer the graham crackers become, but it takes days before they become soggy.
🖤NEW IN THE ILY SHOP🖤 Stay in the moment wit 🖤NEW IN THE ILY SHOP🖤 Stay in the moment with our daily planner, on track with our habit tracker, & ahead of the game with our meal planner. SHOP NOW at link in bio! 🖤 ILYSM

Copyright © 2023 ⸱ RAE ANN KELLY ⸱ Design by Love & Riot

Copyright © 2023 · Dainty on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in