Last year, while I was putting my 7-year-old son Reyansh to bed, he looked at me and said,
“Mumma, we can make superhero stickers on Canva and sell them in our society.”
I smiled.
Not because I thought we’d build the next million-dollar business selling stickers.
But because, in that moment, I realized something far more important.
My little boy wasn’t just consuming ideas. He was creating them.
He wasn’t asking for a new toy.
He was asking how he could build something.
As an entrepreneur, it felt like music to my ears.
Maybe he has inherited a few of my genes after all.
But it also made me wonder…
Children aren’t born with a growth mindset. They develop it based on what they see, hear, and experience every day.
What is a Growth Mindset?
A growth mindset is simply the belief that abilities can be developed.
Instead of saying,
“I’m not good at maths.”
a child starts saying,
“I’m not good at maths yet.”
That one small word-yet-changes everything.
Children with a growth mindset see challenges as opportunities instead of proof that they’re not smart enough.
Your Child is Watching More Than Listening
Kids copy what we do far more than what we say.
If they constantly hear us complain about problems, they’ll learn to avoid challenges.
If they see us learning new skills, making mistakes, trying again, reading books, building businesses, fixing things around the house, or simply staying curious, they absorb that too.
I don’t remember ever sitting my son down to teach him entrepreneurship.
He has simply watched me build businesses from home.
He has seen me work on Canva, create websites, take calls, brainstorm ideas, and celebrate small wins.
Children learn through observation.
Praise Effort, Not Just Results
One of the biggest parenting mistakes we unknowingly make is praising intelligence.
“You’re so smart.”
Instead, praise the process.
“I love how patiently you solved that puzzle.”
“You worked really hard on this drawing.”
“You didn’t give up.”
Children begin to value effort instead of seeking constant validation.
Encourage Ideas, Even the Silly Ones
Not every idea has to become reality.
Sometimes children just need someone to say,
“That’s interesting. Tell me more.”
Imagine if I had replied,
“Who’s going to buy stickers?”
or
“Go to sleep.”
That conversation would have ended right there.
Instead, we discussed which superheroes people might like.
Whether we ever sell those stickers isn’t the point.
The thinking process is.
Let Them Solve Problems
As parents, we often rush to help.
Tie the shoelaces.
Complete the homework.
Fix the toy.
Answer every question.
But confidence grows when children solve problems themselves.
Sometimes the best help is simply asking,
“What do you think we should do?”
Let Them Fail Safely
Failure isn’t the opposite of success.
It’s part of success.
A child who loses a race, scores low in an exam, or struggles with a project isn’t failing at life.
They’re collecting experience.
Our job isn’t to remove every obstacle.
Our job is to remind them that setbacks are temporary.
Teach Them to Create, Not Just Consume
Today’s children consume endless videos.
Imagine if they also learned to create.
A comic.
A greeting card.
A simple website.
A YouTube video.
A story.
A science experiment.
A lemonade stand.
A sticker business.
Creation builds confidence in ways consumption never can.
The Biggest Gift We Can Give
As parents, we naturally want our children to have better opportunities than we had.
But perhaps the greatest gift isn’t money, expensive schools, or gadgets.
It’s teaching them to believe:
“If I don’t know something today, I can learn it tomorrow.”
That belief stays with them for life.
And who knows?
One bedtime conversation about superhero stickers may one day become something much bigger.
After all, every big idea once started as a small conversation.
About the Author
I’m Neha Agarwal, an entrepreneur, founder of Digi Acai, and, most importantly, a mother to an endlessly curious little boy.
Over the last few years, I’ve been building businesses from my home office while also trying to be present for my son. It’s not always easy to balance meetings, deadlines, school projects, bedtime stories, and endless “why” questions. But somewhere along the way, I realized that children learn far more from watching us than from listening to our advice.
Through this blog, I share honest stories from motherhood, entrepreneurship, and everyday life – small moments that have taught me some of the biggest lessons about raising resilient, kind, and curious children. If even one story inspires another parent to see things differently, I’ll consider it worth writing.