In our family, we discouraged our children from being quitters from a very young age. If they started a game, they needed to finish it. If they wanted to do an activity, they couldn’t just leave halfway through. Because quitting should only be allowed or encouraged in rare circumstances, we wanted to raise our children to persevere!
Earlier this year, one of my daughters faced a difficult decision. She had recently started a good job that utilized her skills and looked good on her résumé, but her manager was dishonest and frequently acted in a way that made her uncomfortable. She came to Mark and me and told us that she wanted to quit her job. On the surface, that didn’t necessarily seem like the best move for a young, recent college graduate! But when we analyzed the situation using three important questions, we realized that this was one situation where quitting was good and were able to help her make the wise decision of leaving her compromising work environment.
At some point, every parent will hear from their child the words, “I quit.” When our kids are younger, it’s usually something that’s not a big deal, like a game the child is losing or a sport that does not come naturally. But as they grow older, their decisions about when to stick something out and when to quit become much more significant and potentially life-altering. It’s so important that we teach them from a young age how and when to persevere!
In this podcast, Mark and I share three important questions to consider about letting your child quit:
- Why are they quitting?
- Why should they stick it out?
- What are their options for moving forward?
Sometimes, it’s okay to quit. But we want to make sure our children are prepared to make wise decisions instead of just doing what feels easiest.
