The Benefits of Being Brave

I feel like I am constantly faced with the choice to play it safe and stay in my comfort zone, or be brave and do something that might seem a little scary. This week some plans with a friend fell through and I was faced with a choice to stay home and stick to our routine, or to try something new.

I decided to be brave and went on a little adventure with my girls to Sea World.

We met Shamu!

I was nervous to go all by myself, especially since I haven’t been in years (and never with kids), but everything went great. We saw two shows and both the girls loved the turtle reef where you could get right up to the glass to see turtles and fish.

Ready to see the Shamu show!

I am so glad I was brave and got to make this memory with the girls.

Having a snack before we drive home.

Although it can be hard to be brave, I think there is always a lesson to be learning from trying something new. Sometimes the lesson is easy: when you are brave you can have fun, meet new people, share a new experience. Sometimes the lesson is difficult: you realize things you need to adjust in your attitude, the kids have a meltdown, it isn’t the experience you hoped for. However, it is the good and the bad things we learn along the way that make us who we are and help us have experiences we can share with our kids.

Here are some resources to encourage bravery in your household:

For Tweens: 10 Ways to Teach Your Children to Be Brave from iMom

A list of books that build courage from Scholastic

Some great quotes about bravery:

How have you been brave recently? What lesson did you learn?

Here’s a challenge: Do something brave in the next few days and share it with me in the comments!