Parenting and Resilience: A 7-Year-Old Girl Falls at the Start of a Figure Skating Race, Then Does the Unthinkable: What Her Return Teaches Kids About Resilience
He could lose the race in seconds. For seven-year-old Tangtang, it seemed to happen almost instantly. At a figure skating competition in Wuhan, China, a young skater fell first, while other children raced fast. I was suddenly at the back of the pack, and the finish line was still far away. But Tang Tang did something that turned the race into an unforgettable lesson in resilience: She got back up and kept skiing.Instead of giving up after the early fall, the seven-year-old began chasing other competitors. She bested them one by one, eventually moving into first place in her group and earning her place in the next round, according to a report by CGTN.
July 28, 2026 | 16:25
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The dramatic comeback has resonated far beyond the rink because it embodies something parents often spend years trying to teach their children — what to do when things don’t go according to plan.
The race wasn’t over when you fell
To a child, falling behind may seem greater than it actually is. Sometimes a missed goal, a bad test result, losing a match or making a mistake can seem like the end of the world.This is where Tangtang’s response gets interesting.It didn’t have a perfect start. She didn’t have the advantage of being in front. But she also did not consider the setback a reason to stop. Her coach continued to encourage her from the sidelines as she made her way back to the race.Tangtang started learning figure skating at around the age of three and a half. She later moved towards speed skating and began more focused training. Her coach described her as a calm, thoughtful child who takes her training seriously.
For parents, the real win may not be the medal
It’s tempting to look at a story like this and celebrate the comeback because the kid finally moved into first place. But the most important moment came before that, when I stood up.Children cannot avoid failure forever. They will fall, lose, get rejected, make mistakes, and sometimes watch someone else do a better job than them. What parents can influence is how children learn to respond to those moments.Instead of immediately intervening when something goes wrong, parents can sometimes give children the opportunity to figure out their next step on their own. This does not mean leaving the child to struggle alone. This means being close enough to support them without eliminating every problem.
Teach your children that one bad moment does not define them
A child who receives a low grade is not considered a “bad student.” A child who loses a game is not a “loser.” A child who falls during a race is not necessarily out of the race. These differences may seem small, but they can shape how children see themselves.Parents can help by focusing on effort and recovery rather than just results. Saying, “You kept trying even when things got tough” can sometimes be more meaningful than simply saying, “You’re so talented.” The goal is not to make children think they always have to win. This is to help them understand that losing, falling, or making a mistake does not mean they have to stop trying. This is perhaps the biggest lesson of the Tangtang Race.Interestingly, her story didn’t end with a completely perfect competition. Reports say she later fell again after a crash in the final and finished fifth. But that doesn’t take away from the moment that caught people’s attention.Her most memorable achievement wasn’t just getting ahead of other skaters. It was showing what she did after she fell behind. For parents, this may be the part worth remembering. We cannot make childhood free of disappointment. We shouldn’t try that. Sometimes, the most valuable thing a child can learn is much simpler: You can fall down, take a breath, get back up, and keep going.
