Everyone is talking about resilience right now. Educators, parents, and psychologist share concern that our kids struggle to cope with difficulties, disappointments, or trials of any kind. Take heart parents, there is much we can do to build resiliency in our kids.  

Resilience isn’t something I can tell my kids to have. It’s something they learn by watching others struggle and keep going. When they witness a parent, grandparent, sibling or close friend face a significant challenge and choose perseverance, they are learning how to cope and the blessings born of faithfulness. Fundamentally, they are learning “grit”.

Now, I don’t wish trial or struggle into anyone’s lives. We know it is a part of life, and we must expect it at some point, but I would never suggest families seek it out. So, how can we teach our children resilience when the sun is shining? Enter fiction.

When we read about a character’s struggle, our brains simulate parts of that experience — activating the same regions as if we were living it ourselves. Fiction gives kids a front-row seat to failure, fear, and courage — without real-world consequences. When they watch a character face setback, adapt, and choose courage anyway, they’re quietly rehearsing those skills themselves.

I have personally witnessed fictional characters provide profound inspiration, birthing in readers perseverance, faithfulness, courage, self-sacrifice and integrity. I’m so convinced of the power of story to inspire, that I wrote a young adult adventure novel championing those very qualities. In Heart of a Bowman, the main characters don’t start out fearless or confident. Colt and Tess make mistakes. They misjudge people. They both faces consequences they didn’t expect. What matters isn’t that they’re ‘strong’ — it’s that they both keep choosing courage and self-sacrifice after being knocked down.

When we read stories like this in our homeschool, we pause and ask questions like:

• What would you do in this moment?
• What mistake did the character make — and what did they learn?
• How did failure change the next choice?
• For families of faith – What does the Bible say about this situation? What would most please the Lord?

When you, as a parent, validate self-sacrifice and perseverance, courage and choosing the right no matter the cost, you are laying a rock-solid foundation for your child. Those conversations go further than you will ever know to build resilience.

This is why I believe stories matter so much — especially for kids who are learning how to handle a complex world. Heart of a Bowman is one of the ways I’m trying to contribute to that conversation.