MINT HILL, NC – There are benefits to being a risk taker. When you are willing to take risks, you provide yourself with opportunities to learn new things and develop skills in different areas. As parents, we can teach our children how to take risks and learn from them. For example, when a child is learning how to ride a bike, she is taking a risk. There are plenty of opportunities to fall and get hurt while learning how to do it.  There is also an extraordinary opportunity for the child to keep trying until they are falling and wobbling less, and riding more. Before you know it, the child is enjoying the new found skill of riding a bike and she has that skill for a lifetime. This example can apply to many things that children learn as they grow and develop. Children need to be given the opportunity to try, fail and try again. When our children know how to keep trying, we help them to develop endurance and perseverance. Parents can create a safe place for their children to try, fail, try and succeed. Help them to set realistic expectations. Let them know that learning a new skill is a process. Let them know that reaching meaningful goals and learning new things take time. Encourage them to keep going. Sometimes children want to give up if they aren’t ‘the best’ at something right away. Encourage them to stick with it and keep going. Help them to track their progress.