Jodie Maddox

I PARTNER with parents and schools.

I EMPOWER them to make impactful decisions within their sphere of influence.

I PROVIDE reliable support, with effective strategies, to gain desired results.

Email jodiemaddoxicoach@gmail.com

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Dear Friends,

When my son was growing up, football was his sport. He played from third grade through sixth grade and planned to continue in middle school. Then life threw him a curveball. The summer before seventh grade, we learned that his CYO team didn't have enough players to field its own football team. The seventh graders could join the eighth-grade team, but the coach made it clear that the eighth graders would receive most of the playing time because it was their final season together. My son was crushed. His choices were simple: play football and spend most of the season on the bench, or try something new.

He chose soccer. The problem was that he hadn't played since second grade. When he attended a club tryout, the coach told him he needed to be able to juggle a soccer ball 100 times before he would even be considered for a team.

As parents, it was hard not to focus on how unfair the situation felt. Instead, we had to intentionally remind ourselves to help Jack focus on what he wanted to achieve, not on what he might have lost. The only thing he could control was what came next. So he practiced. Every day he failed. Every day he improved. What began as disappointment became determination. Looking back, I am grateful that things didn't go according to his plan. That experience taught him lessons that success never could. He learned to adapt, persevere, and keep moving forward when life didn't go his way.

As parents and educators, we want to protect children from disappointment. Yet resilience, emotional regulation, and problem-solving develop through challenges, not around them. This month, we explore how to help children handle disappointment without rushing in to rescue them. Sometimes the greatest gift we can give our children is not a solution. Resilience isn't built when everything goes right. It grows when children learn they can handle it when things don't go as planned!

This summer, let's find time to teach kids how to pivot, persevere, and POWER UP!

With A Grateful Heart,

Jodie Maddox

Parent Coach and Education Consultant

Resilience Grows When Things Don't Go as Planned

No parent enjoys watching their child struggle. Whether it's a disappointing grade, a lost friendship, or not making the team, our instinct is often to fix the problem and make the hurt go away. But what if disappointment isn't something to avoid?

Children develop resilience by facing setbacks, not by being protected from them. They learn perseverance, emotional regulation, and problem-solving when they experience challenges and discover they can work through them. Disappointment is not an emergency. When a child is upset, many families unintentionally treat it like a crisis. Plans change, everyone walks on eggshells, and the focus becomes making the feeling disappear.

Disappointment is uncomfortable, but it is not harmful. Children need opportunities to experience difficult emotions and learn that those feelings eventually pass. The goal is not to remove the feeling; the goal is to build the skill.

1. Let Feelings Be Feelings

One of the most powerful things you can say is: "I can see you're disappointed."

Children do not need us to erase their emotions. They need us to acknowledge them. When we allow feelings to exist without immediately trying to fix them, children learn an important lesson:

"I can feel something difficult and still be okay."

2. Support, Don't Rescue

Support builds capability. Rescuing builds dependency.

Supporting sounds like:

• "I'm here with you."

• "Tell me about it."

• "What do you think you'll do next?"

Rescuing sounds like:

• "I’ll handle this."

• "I'll call and talk to them."

• "This isn’t worth your energy; let this go, you’ll feel better tomorrow."

3. Don't Let One Child's Mood Run the Household

Your child's feelings matter, but they should not determine the emotional temperature of the entire family. It is okay for your child to be disappointed. It is also okay for dinner to continue, plans to move forward, and life to go on. When parents remain calm and steady, they send a powerful message:

"Your feelings are welcome here, but they do not control everyone else."

4. The Goal: Resilience

Resilient children are not children who never struggle. They are children who learn:

• I can survive hard things.

• I can recover from setbacks.

• I can solve problems.

• I can keep moving forward.

These lessons are rarely learned during success. They are learned through disappointment.

The next time your child is struggling, resist the urge to “fix it”. Sit beside them, listen. acknowledge their feelings, and trust the process. Because resilience isn't built when everything goes right. It grows when children learn they can handle it when things don't.

One of the most common complaints parents hear during the summer is: "I'm bored!"

For many parents, those two words trigger an immediate response. We start suggesting activities, organizing outings, handing over devices, or trying to entertain our children. After all, we want them to be happy.

In today's world, children are accustomed to constant stimulation. Between sports, activities, social media, video games, television, and endless entertainment options, there are very few moments when they are left alone with their thoughts.

View boredom as the starting point for some of the most important skills children need to develop.

When children are bored, they learn to:

• Be creative

• Solve problems

• Use their imagination

• Take initiative

• Tolerate discomfort

• Entertain themselves

When we immediately rescue children from boredom, we unintentionally teach them that someone else is responsible for managing their time, emotions, and entertainment. When we allow them to sit with boredom for a while, they begin to discover their own interests and capabilities. That doesn't mean every moment of summer should be unstructured. Children still benefit from routines, expectations, and family activities. But it does mean that not every minute needs to be planned.

The next time your child announces, "I'm bored," resist the urge to become the cruise director of summer.

Instead, try responding with:

• "I wonder what you'll come up with."

• "That sounds like a problem you can solve."

• "You have lots of options."

• "Let me know what you decide to do."

You might hear some complaints at first. That's okay.

Growth often happens in the space between discomfort and discovery.

This summer, give your child the gift of boredom. You may be surprised by what they create, imagine, and learn when they are given the opportunity to figure things out for themselves.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “I’m not sure… but something feels off," you’re not alone.

Spring and summer are actually the perfect time to take the first step.

There is space to:

• Ask questions

• Explore options

• Put supports in place before next August

• Practice building skills and finding support over the summer

You don’t have to navigate this process by yourself. This is the work I love—helping parents make sense of what they’re seeing, understand their options, and create a plan that supports their child’s growth in a realistic and meaningful way. If you’re ready to talk it through, I’d love to connect.

Let’s take the guesswork out of it—together. Email me today for a free consultation at jodiemaddoxicoach@gmail.com.

Skills like organization, task initiation, time management, and emotional regulation can be taught and strengthened. I work with schools to provide practical, classroom-ready professional development that helps teachers:

• Support struggling students

• Build executive functioning into daily instruction

• Use effective Tier 2 and flexible grouping strategies

Spring is the perfect time to reflect, reset, and plan for next year. If your school is ready to better support all learners, I’d love to partner with you. Contact me today to schedule a summer reboot or hear more about your 2026-2027 professional development needs. I'd love to come work with your team!!!

Email: jodiemaddoxicoach@gmail.com
Website: jodiemaddoxicoach.com
Phone: (913)908-8220
Facebook: facebook.com/Jodiemaddox-ParentCoach&consultant