Resilience in Children

”Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Talking with people who have been directly or indirectly touched by cancer, we agreed that a patient will go through denial, anger, and bargaining before the reality sinks in and they feel depressed. At the bottom of depression, the patient may choose to accept the situation and live a new life style, or get stuck in the pit of depression.

I once read about a teenager with cancer who spent a lot of time in the hospital. When he accepted the reality of his illness, he started to research about his cancer on symptoms, diagnosis, treatment methods, and related topics. He ended up knowing so much that he gained the nickname of “Little Doctor.” The hospital staff even gave him a white lab coat to wear and sent new residence to “find out all about cancer” from him. That teenager was very resilient!

Resilience means the ability to withstand shock without permanent damage, and the tendency to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or adversity. On earth, we all have to face uncomfortable situations, unpleasant people, and unexpected events from time to time. Even normal day-to-day living could be very stressful. Therefore, it is important for us to teach and show our children how to be resilient people. One sure way of bouncing back is to have a peace of mind by learning how to accept things that are beyond our control.

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