As high school students prepare for life after graduation, they’ll apply for summer jobs, academic programs, and internships. Kids transitioning to middle and high school will become eligible for enrichment programs and sports they want to participate in.
No matter your age, you can’t win them all. Some kids will be disappointed, and they’re not the only ones. It can be tough for some parents too. We’ve talked about how to help your kids deal with disappointment. Now, let’s talk about how to help parents deal with their feelings.
It’s natural for parents to feel disappointed when their kids don’t get a job, internship, or aren’t picked for sports teams. Parental disappointment becomes problematic when parents catastrophize the rejection. If a parent believes that the rejection will define their kid’s future, it’s a problem. Instead, parents should take the rejection in stride. Realize that it’s part of life and, ultimately, doesn’t determine your child’s success. So, it’s important to keep the rejections in perspective.
You also want to keep your disappointment in perspective. Sometimes, when your children are rejected, it brings up childhood memories for you, the parent, when things didn’t turn out. If you struggled with a comeback, you might feel that your child might have a hard time. Remember that both of your lives are different. Feel the disappointment; just make sure that you handle it constructively.
It can be reassuring to your kids if you let them know that you’re disappointed. It’ll help normalize their feelings. Being rejected is hurtful. It’s all in the way you handle the disappointment. You don’t want it to keep you from moving forward and trying again.
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