Podcasts Kids & Family Parenting Don't Mom Alone Podcast Generation Grit Laura Hale ep 29

Generation Grit Laura Hale ep 29

Published: June 16, 2014, 5:30 a.m.

Ok. I won\u2019t tell you how many\xa0minutes\xa0hours I scrolled through Facebook & Instagram yesterday reading about all the wonderful men in my friends\u2019 lives.

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But I came away from social media feeling all warm & cozy. Because\xa0I\u2019m raising future fathers\xa0(hopefully a role for all four boys).

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When I see the difference an honorable man makes in a family, I pay extra close attention.\xa0Noticing all the adjectives that mattered: encouraging, strong, caring, protective, loving, joyful, and amazing.

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One\xa0friend\xa0posted that her dad had \u201cgrit\u201d. This stood out from among the rest because it\u2019s a word you don\u2019t hear often enough. And because it was a topic fresh on my mind\u2026

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Today\u2019s podcast guest, Laura Hale, defines \u201cgrit\u201d as:

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The courage to show up and do\xa0something that matters in your own way. To be OK with failing and trying again. Learning and growing.

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Of course, I want this for my boys.

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But\xa0I think\xa0moms show grit. We courageously keep showing up. Even when we feel like we failed, we jump back in and try again.

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Laura has grit. She is launching a new line of toys for young boys, Generation Grit. Her desire is to offer an option for boys which allows for hours of reading and imaginative play.

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Her solution is to create a line of boys\u2019 action figures and accompanying story books based on fictitious characters from different historical eras (picture a boy\u2019s version of \u201cAmerican Girl\u201d). The first of these characters is Mac Mason, a 14-year-old boy living in California in 1943.

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At Generation Grit, we model characters who struggle.\xa0People are wired to struggle.\xa0It\u2019s how a baby learns to walk, and it\u2019s how a child learns to read. As a mom, one of the most heartbreaking things I see is when a child chooses to stay on the sidelines because they are afraid to risk failure. In our stories, Generation Grit is committed to\xa0celebrating the willingness to face hard things, to fail sometimes, and to get back up. -Laura Hale

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During the podcast we chatted about:

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  • How we went to the same church at the same time and didn\u2019t know it
  • What motivated her to create a new toy product for boys
  • How Laura demonstrated grit in pursuing toy maker connections
  • How boys in the 8-12 age range don\u2019t have a lot of \u201cnon-screen\u201d toy options
  • How quickly children grow from 8 years to mid-teens.
  • How we can support Laura to accomplishing her dream, through\xa0Kickstarter\n
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Side notes:

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*My\xa0boys watched the Kickstarter video and asked if we could get a Mac action figure. Seemed like a no-brainer to me and a perfect Christmas present option.\xa0

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**AND\xa0saw this article\xa0yesterday with fabulous book options for helping shape our kids \u201cmoral imagination\u201d, not to be confused with \u201cmoralism\u201d. Must read.

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***Speaking of boy toys. . . don\u2019t forget to\xa0enter to win\xa0subscriptions to Pley or a Lego set! I added a new way to enter, by following God Centered Mom posts via email.

\n Connect with Laura: \n Show Notes: