When Someone Steps on Your RC Car

Last week at camp, our heroes participated in an innovation challenge—designing and building their own RC cars. It was loud, exciting, and a beautiful display of creativity and teamwork. But then something happened.

One of our campers ran through the testing area and stepped on an RC car. Was it intentional? Was it an accident? We don’t know for sure. What we do know is that the car was wrecked.

In that moment, a lot of emotions surfaced—disappointment, frustration, and especially sadness. And all of those feelings were valid. There were tears. Lots of tears! But instead of letting that moment define the day, we used it as a lesson.

Because sometimes…someone steps on your RC car.

Sometimes, despite your planning and your effort, something breaks. Sometimes people don’t see the space you’ve carved out. Sometimes the world doesn’t feel fair.

And while it hurts—we still have to move forward.

As a parent, I think about this often. I don’t want anyone to step on Mikey’s RC car. I want to shield him from every bump, every misstep, every injustice. But I know I can’t. That’s not the world we live in. And more importantly—it’s not the world our kids are growing up in either. They have to face these challenges while they’re young. They need opportunities to practice navigating disappointment, frustration, and conflict. They need moments to problem-solve, adapt, and rebuild while the stakes are still small. Because if the first time something breaks is when they’re adults, it can completely rock them. 

Without those early experiences to draw from, they may not have the emotional muscle memory to know they can get through it. But if they’ve practiced that perseverance, even through something as small as a broken RC car, they’ll know deep down: “I’ve done hard things before—I can do this too.” And ultimately, he’ll be stronger if he learns how to pick up the pieces, rebuild, and try again.

Building Resilience, One Moment at a Time

That’s why resilience matters so much. In fact, research from the American Psychological Association shows that resilience—the ability to bounce back from challenges—is a critical factor in long-term mental well-being and success. And the good news? Resilience isn’t just something kids have or don’t have—it’s something we can help them build. Every moment like this one at camp is a building block. When kids experience small setbacks and are supported in working through them, they learn that failure isn’t final—it’s just part of the process.

The Power of Rebuilding

At camp, we give out Perseverance Bands for moments like this. They're not about winning. They’re about recovering. They’re about rebuilding. They’re about the strength it takes to say,

“That hurt, but I’m not done.”

As an inclusive camp, things like this happen more often than we’d like. We support kids with all kinds of needs and ways of being in the world. And that means sometimes, someone steps on your RC car. But we believe—and we’ve seen—that kids grow stronger through the messiness. Through the moments that don’t go their way. Through the compassion they offer each other and the resilience they discover in themselves.

We can’t promise that nothing will break. But we can promise that we’ll help them rebuild. Again and again. That’s what develops heroes.