Rather Than Shame, Learn From Mistakes

“Are you sitting on the bench because you’re injured?”

I had recess duty for 5th and 6th grade during a guest (substitute) teaching assignment and spotted a boy sitting on the bench.

“No, I’m in trouble.” He shuffled his feet and bowed his head.

I could see the shame he felt so I said, “Well, the important thing is that you learn from your mistake. We don’t have to be ashamed of making mistakes.

We all make them and sometimes we make the same ones more than once but hopefully, we eventually learn not to make those mistakes. Whatever it is you did, learn from it and do better next time.”

He nodded.

I wish someone had given this perspective to me when I was a kid. I would not have lived my life in fear of making mistakes or in shame over the ones I did make.


Shaming ourselves for mistakes keeps us stuck. Giving ourselves grace for mistakes empowers us. In that supportive environment, we can learn from mistakes and make better choices.

This entry was posted in Be An Overcomer, Mistakes, Overcome Shame, Overcoming Fear, Parenting. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.