Ways to Impact the Next Generation

Ways to Impact the Next Generation

As a Life Coach, I’ve discovered a few key principles that may have a powerful impact as you are coaching the next generation.

1. Provide a Sense of Safety

While we can’t always protect children from physical injury or emotional pain, we can supply them with a consistent sense of emotional safety and security. Creating an environment where they know they can return for comfort, encouragement, and a sense of support. When children feel secure, they’re more willing to take healthy risks that lead to personal growth.

2. Make Sure They Feel Seen

Truly, seeing and experiencing a child going beyond physical presence. It involves emotional atonement, recognizing their feelings, validating their experiences, and showing them, they matter. When a child feels genuinely seen, they begin to trust more deeply and develop a stronger sense of self-worth.

3. Encourage Their Voice

Empowering children or teenagers to express their thoughts, opinions, and feelings without fear of being judged or dismissed is key. When we give children or teenagers a space to speak and truly be listened to, we teach them that their voice and thoughts have value. This helps build confidence, critical thinking, and emotional well-being and maturity

4. Model Healthy Behaviour

Children and teens learn more from what we do than what we say. They watch us more carefully than we realize. Modelling honesty, respect, humility, and emotional regulation teaches them how to navigate life with integrity and honesty. If we want them to be kind, patient, or resilient, we must first embody those traits ourselves and demonstrate them.

5. Nurture Their Individuality

Every child, every teenager, is unique, with their very own personality, strengths, and dreams. One must avoid forcing them into predefined roles or expectations. Instead, support their passions, their dreams, acknowledge their uniqueness, and celebrate their differences. This helps them build a sense of identity, self-confidence and self-esteem.

Positive and Negative behaviours, a Slippery Slope Indeed...

Talking about both positive and negative behaviours, and how we strive to attune ourselves to what is going on within the minds of children and teenagers. Here is a thought for all Coaches: “Belief is what can fuel behaviour.”

So, we have to understand what their beliefs are, what they are thinking, and have some notion of their cognitions. To try to get into the midst of their mind to see what’s really going on beneath the behaviour.

1. Teach Them How to Cope

It’s not about giving them a life of ease but rather teaching them how to cope when life gets hard or begins to fall apart. We need to demonstrate how healthy coping strategies can be productive and life-changing. Learn ways to respond to hurt and pain more adaptively and constructively. Yes, at the same time, remind them that you or other trained professionals are there for them as they move forward in life. A soothed child or teen understands that they will never have to make the journey alone.

2. Provide a Sense of Security

Dr. Dan Siegel in. his book, “The Power of Showing Up,” He wrote about, when a child knows they can count on you to provide safety, when they know you will see them emotionally and understand what’s going on beneath their behavior, and when a child feels soothed knowing they will never have to suffer alone because you will always show up for them—it allows them to develop a secure attachment.

What’s truly fascinating is that as we provide atonement and invest in their lives, not just in the ways they desire. But in the ways they deserve and desire. This also strengthens their sense of security, their emotional well-being and their sense of self-worth.

3. Ways to Build a Strong and Safe Relationship:

Trust is not built in one day or one session; it must be built one stone at a time.

Every time you’re a child/ child or a teen/ teen needs or requires you and you’re there for them, you’re adding to their mindset of trust. The more you show up, give attention and show interest, the stronger your relationship becomes.

Be a teacher for them and learn to understand their feelings, hopes and dreams.

Help your person learn what frame of mind means. Help them be able to notice what’s going on inside their mind as well as how other people think and feel. Once they start learning this skill or mindset, they can feel more secure and confident in life.

Final Thoughts

By consistently showing genuine interest and care, adults can help children/teenagers build trust and develop a positive mindset. True success can occur when children and teens recognize this support network of their parents, guardians, and other key figures in their lives, such as coaches, music teachers, or mentors. These trusted relationships play a crucial role in a young person’s emotional growth and development.

Creating a safe and dependable space is not only important, but it is essential. When multiple adults, including family members and mentors, commit to this same approach, it helps children/teens realize they have a strong, reliable support system. Teaching them this mindsight helps them develop the ability to understand their thoughts and feelings as well as those of others, which equips them with a valuable life skill. With this self-awareness and empathy, they are better prepared to handle life’s challenges with confidence and grace.

When kids feel secure in themselves and in their relationships, they are more resilient, capable of building meaningful connections, and more likely to grow into emotionally strong and healthy adults. By investing time, care, and attention into these strategies today, we lay the foundation for a more connected and emotionally balanced future for our children and for the generations to come.

Authors Notes

Thank you for reading my article, please comment and follow my writing.

I am a trained Life Coach and Share Life Skills with a group of adults most Tuesday Nights,

Written by Bruce Curle

Life Coach