Have you ever had someone give you advice about finding teachable moments in everyday life?
A teachable moment is where you see an opportunity to teach your child something.
This concept started out with the thought that unless you engage someone’s mind at the right moment, learning would not occur.
That’s probably why, as a homeschool mom for over 10 years, I’m sort of a teaching moment detective.
But, as usual, there’s a right and a wrong way of finding teachable moments. Let’s chat about this!
Teachable Moments Gone Wrong
Motherhood is hard, especially when our children are going through difficult times or something challenging happens.
As moms, we often choose those moments to teach important lessons and instill positive values in our children. Go you!
And in those teachable moments, we often feel like we’re not heard, or what we say doesn’t matter, or that we just wasted our voice because our words seem to go nowhere.
And this can be triggering.
Some days, it’s easy to decide you’ll be a positive mom and brush it off, but other days, it just hits that nerve, especially when you’re already dealing with anxiety, depression, or anything else within the PTSD family.
Some of the best teachable moments happen when we’re having fun.
When children know they have our undivided attention, we suddenly have theirs, too.
Then the momster comes out… That yelling, screaming, fire-spitting dragon you hate to be.
Well, there goes the teachable moment. You feel like all this moment is teaching you is how far along you are from being the positive mom you want to be.
Yes, there are times we are able to turn turmoil into life lessons and conflict into harmony, but we are not supermoms here, just exhausted regular moms who put our heart into motherhood and can’t control anything, including ourselves, sometimes.
After many years doing this motherhood thing, I’ve discovered that teachable moments and chaos don’t quite mix.
Creating Positive Teachable Moments
It’s one thing to find teachable moments and embrace teachable moments, but I am a proponent of creating positive teachable moments.
I’m not talking about planning or orchestrating, or “evilly plotting,” because teachable moments are spontaneous, and they happen a lot – all the time.
You definitely can look for the teachable and pay attention so you can find them, because they can sneak up on you when you least expect it.
I define positive teachable moments as those teachable moments that happen when you have your child’s attention in a positive setting.
In those moments, you are teaching without preaching – even if indeed you’re quoting the Bible!
Positive teachable moments happen when you are spending quality time, having fun, or working together.
Teachable Times
- Going for a drive or a road trip
- Going grocery shopping together
- Storytelling – share your family stories with your children
- Reading a book aloud
- Listening to music
- Watching a documentary
- Cooking together
- Going to a museum together
- Discussing what is happening in the news
- Having a game night
- Reading the Scriptures as a family
- Working together on paying bills, budgeting, or even tax work
- Doing family history work
- Eating together – at the dinner table
- Watching a favorite show together
- Going to the park or somewhere out in nature or the outdoors
When children know they have our undivided attention, we suddenly have theirs, too.
Secrets of Sulphur Springs
My daughters and I are obsessed with Disney Channel’s new show Secrets of Sulphur Springs.
We love that our friends at Disney Channel invited us to screen another episode, titled Time Warped.
Having early access is amazing… and makes it all the more intriguing. The weekly surprises right to our doorstep are amazing, too!
“Secrets of Sulphur Springs” follows 12-year-old Griffin Campbell (Preston Oliver) whose world has been upended by his father, Ben (Josh Braaten).
Ben has moved the family from Chicago to take ownership of an abandoned hotel property, The Tremont.
The Campbell family, which also includes Griffin’s mother, Sarah (Kelly Frye), and his younger twin siblings, Wyatt (Landon Gordon) and Zoey (Madeleine McGraw), moves into The Tremont in hopes of restoring it to the lively vacation destination it once was.
On his first day at his new school, Griffin hears rumors that the hotel is haunted by the ghost of Savannah (Elle Graham), a girl who disappeared decades ago. He soon meets and befriends Harper (Kyliegh Curran), a thrill-seeking classmate, and soon they discover a secret portal that allows them to travel back in time and uncover clues about the town mystery.
When we watch Secrets of Sulphur Springs, we learn lots of lessons and we love the suspense, drama, and fun.
My daughters are literally gasping and biting their nails, eyes glued to the screen. They love the sense of exploring, adventure, and mystery solving.
All the episodes of Secrets of Sulphur Springs leave us on the most epic cliffhangers that have us talking about our theories the whole week long!
Watching Secrets of Sulphur Springs is a great tool for kids to use their imagination and learn the skill of storytelling.
It’s a show that the whole family will enjoy, because there’s something for everyone.
We’re loving the Easter eggs, too. We just can’t get enough.
This Week On Secrets of Sulphur Springs
In “Time Warped,” Griffin and Harper observe as young Ben and Savannah sit around the post-dance campfire when, suddenly, Savannah is spooked by a counselor dressed as the legendary Moss Man.
The episode premieres FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on Disney Channel.
Don’t miss out! Grab your popcorn and watch Secrets of Sulphur Springs every Friday on the Disney Channel at 8pm ET/PT.
And don’t worry if you haven’t yet started watching. You can catch up by steaming Secrets of Sulphur Springs episodes on Disney Now and on the Disney Now app.
Follow the conversation online with #secretsofsulphursprings.
Not Every Moment Needs To Be A Teachable Moment
Yes, teachable moments are wonderful, but don’t fall in the trap of thinking that every moment needs to be a teachable moment.
Don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself to try to jump in and force learning on your children. It won’t end up well, I tell you.
I used to panic and beat myself up because I missed a teachable moment.
One of my mottos is to live every day as it is my only day, which comes from my many near death experiences.
So I want to teach them EVERYTHING and I want to teach it NOW.
You’re probably shaking your head thinking “Well, that’s no way to spend the only day you’ve got to live!” And you’re right!
FOMO (fear of missing out) is the worst. It really steals your joy and your peace.
And we are all learning here. Teachable moments are moments in which I remind myself that I am getting better at noticing those moments and that I am doing my best to create and embrace them.
I also remind myself to celebrate those wins and hold on to them! Life is not fun when I’m too hard on myself and I don’t give myself any credit.
I now give myself grace and to live more in the moment with my children. A present mom is a positive mom – and a peaceful mom, too!
Can you share one of your teachable moments? We’d all love to hear your story!
Elayna is a single mom of 4, award-winning Storyteller, Story Strategist, and Student of Pain. She’s a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, and 4x TEDx speaker. Founder of the Positive MOM® and creator of the S.T.O.R.Y. System: a blueprint to craft and share powerful stories that will transform your results, so you can have the wealth, opportunities, and freedom you deserve. Connect with Elayna Fernández at thepositivemom.com/keynote-speaker and follow @thepositivemom. To receive a gift from Elayna, click HERE.
Want to support the Positive MOM blog?
The mission of the Positive MOM blog is to help moms break trauma cycles, find peace, and feel emotionally whole, so they can practice supportive parenting and create a positive and healthy environment for their children. If you found Elayna’s content valuable, please consider donating a love offering to enable her to keep creating content and helping more moms worldwide. Donate HERE.