Tag Archives: effort

When a Child Refuses to Try

“Well, as long as you try—that is what is important!” How many times has a phrase like this been uttered by parents? If you are the type of parent who likes to focus on the process and on trying and attempting, instead of on outcome, it can be incredibly frustrating when a child refuses to try or claims constantly “I can’t do it!” It is common for toddlers and young children to go through a phase where they try to get someone else to do things for them or they claim that they just can’t do something. There are also … Continue reading →

Some Days I Don’t Want to Do Anything Either!

I often think that the only difference between my kids and myself is the fact that I HAVE to get up and go to work and be responsible and they don’t. Of course, if you were to ask them, they would think that I have all the choices they don’t have, and here I am looking at them and thinking they have all the choices that I don’t have. Recently, I was debating this fact with a friend–a childless person who maintains that it is much harder to be an adult and that teenagers get cut a lot of slack. … Continue reading →

Recognize Effort, Not Results

We are a results-oriented society—read the morning newspaper and you’ll see dozens of stories where the end definitely seems to justify the means and we tend to reward people based on what they “achieve,” not the process and efforts along the way. As parents, however, too much focus on results can create a lot of stress and pressure for our kids and they may actually be afraid to try and struggle if they feel they will never get to the “reward.” I think parents can have a great deal of influence on raising kids who are NOT afraid of failure … Continue reading →

RS/EQ: The Work of Repentance

If you haven’t guessed by now, my Relief Society blogs (as well as my Gospel Doctrine ones) mirror my daily scripture study. Studying President Kimball’s lesson on the miracle of forgiveness, I found the sections covered tonight strongly related to a problem I had struggled with only a few minutes before. While I am guilty of no major, confession-requiring, temple-preventing sins, I have several nasty little habits that I know I need to change. I suppose we all do. I also carry a strong sense of responsibility as to what I teach my children. This particular habit, which I have … Continue reading →

It’s Just too Much Effort

The story of I, Robot by Isaac Asimov, later adapted for a movie starring Will Smith a couple of years ago demonstrates a society’s dependence on robots. Robots were created to facilitate mankind, to help them by taking over menial tasks and allowing man to grow beyond himself. In this imagined era, everyone can afford at least one robot and the 3 laws govern them. While I am not going to get into a debate or really delve much further into the 3 laws of the robots, I am going to tell you why you should just say no to … Continue reading →