That's Determination
by Kiri Jorgensen - Publish and Senior Editor
Years ago, when my son Kaleb was just learning to walk, he decided he needed candy. I had a stash on the top shelf of a cupboard in my sewing room. I used the candy as an incentive for my drama club students, so it was in a colorful container, tucked away out of reach of my family. Kaleb knew it was there.
He toddled into the kitchen, grabbed a chair from the kitchen table, and pushed, pulled, and twisted it all the way down two carpeted halls and through the front room to the other end of the house. He climbed up the chair, onto the countertop, opened the cupboard, and stretched as tall as he could to reach the candy bucket. He succeeded and enjoyed several treats before I found him.
He was barely a year old. To him, the journey of hauling that chair across the house was equivalent to me carrying a fifty-pound bag of dog food for a mile.
That’s determination.
In that span of time, Kaleb didn’t give up. He didn’t get distracted. He focused on the task at hand, and despite the odds, he just kept going. His goal was in sight, and he saw the plan through to the end.
We got a good laugh about his determination to get candy, and hoped that determination would show up again later in life when it could be put to more meaningful endeavors. It has.
When kids are given opportunities to push through challenging situations, with a clear goal in mind, they build determination. When they see their parents or siblings never giving up, they build determination. When they read stories about other kids facing the odds and pushing through to the end, they build determination.
As parents, we can provide our kids with these kinds of opportunities. Give them a glimpse of the bucket of candy stashed on the top shelf. Encourage them to reach it, then show them the path. Let them see you struggle in a challenge and see it through. Read them good books filled with virtuous growth to inspire them, and talk about it. Help them understand that determination is something that can be chosen and obtained.
That’s determination.