The Power Our Kids Already Hold: And How We Can Model it Naturally!

Dr. Deb Zupito

So often, whether as adults, teens, or even young children, we carry the belief that something inside us is broken and needs fixing. But here’s the empowering truth, resilience and personal power aren’t things we have to find or build from scratch. Kids are born with them. Take a walk with a toddler and you’ll see what I mean. They can’t make it five feet without crouching to poke the dirt, inspecting a beetle, sniffing a flower, or licking a raindrop.

Meanwhile, we adults are off searching for mindfulness in a podcast or a course, when we could just follow their lead. Why, because they are NATURAL mindfulness masters. Fully present, fully engaged, and completely in tune with their environment. They come into the world wired for connection, bursting with curiosity, and full of creativity. They don’t need us to teach these qualities, they need us to show them how to keep hold of them. Our job is to model how to stay open, connected, and curious, even when life gets hard.

If we want to nurture personal power and resilience, we start by modeling it. Here are some ways to do that:

• Pause and notice the moment. Let them see you stop to breathe, look at the sky, or laugh at something small.

• Stay curious. Ask questions you don’t already know the answer to. Wonder out loud.

• Make mistakes. And let them watch you recover. That’s where resilience lives.

• Be playful. Joy is not extra, it’s essential.

• Show them your real self. Not the polished, perfect one, the human one who feels things, learns things, and keeps going anyway.

• 
  

And while we’re modeling, here are a few powerful mindsets to hold onto:

• Consistency over perfection. You don’t need to be flawless, just present. Showing up again and again, especially when it’s hard, matters more than getting it “right.”

• Connection is key. When children feel seen and heard, they feel safe. That connection builds trust, security, and a strong emotional foundation.

• Emotional regulation starts with us. The way we respond to stress teaches our children how to handle their own. When we stay calm and responsive, we’re modeling healthy coping.

• Behavior follows emotional safety. When children feel supported and understood, their behavior improves because their nervous systems can relax.

  
  

Our goal isn’t to fix our children, it’s to protect and reflect the strength, creativity, and heart they already carry. We hold up the mirror until they can see it for themselves. That’s how confidence grows. That’s how they discover who they truly are.