Hey there, fellow parents! Let’s talk about raising resilient kids. You know, the kind of kids who can handle life’s curveballs without turning into emotional puddles. I’ve been working on this with my son, Hari, and let me tell you, it’s been a journey. A journey filled with questionable analogies, awkward conversations, and one very confused kid who definitely does not have blue hair.

Here’s the deal: I’m trying to teach Hari that words only have power if you let them. And because I’m a dad, I decided to do this in the most dad way possible—by making up a ridiculous scenario and hoping he learns something from it.

So, the other day, I looked at Hari and said, “Hari, I don’t like your blue hair. It looks terrible.”

Now, let me pause here and say that Hari does not have blue hair. He has perfectly normal, non-blue hair. But that’s not the point. The point is that I’m a dad, and dads are legally required to say at least one nonsensical thing per day.

Hari, being the logical kid he is, looked at me like I’d just told him the sky was made of onions and said, “Dad, I don’t have blue hair.”

Bingo. That was my opening.

“Exactly!” I said, triumphantly. “You don’t have blue hair. So when I said your blue hair looks terrible, did that make you sad?”

Hari shrugged. “No, because I don’t have blue hair.”

“BOOM!” I shouted, probably louder than necessary. “That’s the lesson, burh (yes I called him bruh). When someone says something about you that isn’t true—like calling you dumb or silly or saying you have blue hair—just remember: you’re not that thing. And if you’re not that thing, why should it bother you?”

Hari stared at me for a moment, processing this wisdom. Then he said, “Dad, can I have blue hair?”

Sigh.

Look, parenting is hard. You spend all this time trying to teach your kids important life lessons, and they’re just over there plotting how to dye their hair blue. But hey, at least he’s thinking critically, right?

The truth is, resilience isn’t about ignoring your feelings or pretending everything’s fine. It’s about knowing who you are and not letting other people’s words define you. It’s about teaching your kids to say, “Hey, that’s not me,” and moving on.

And if they want to dye their hair blue after that? Well, that’s just a bonus.

So, to all the parents out there: keep the analogies coming, no matter how weird they are. Keep the conversations going, even if your kid looks at you like you’ve lost your mind. And most importantly, keep reminding your kids that they’re awesome—blue hair or not.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go figure out how to explain to Hari why we’re not actually getting a pet dragon.

Stay strong, parents. You’ve got this.

Love from Dad (and part-time life coach)