Decreasing the sphere of our own lives makes us increasingly dependent on our children for a sense of meaning and accomplishment.

This version of success knows that every child is a work in progress. It recognizes that children must have the time and energy to become truly engaged in learning, explore and develop their interests, beef up their coping skills, and craft a sense of self that feels real, enthusiastic, and capable. Authentic

Since self-esteem comes from actual

Carol Dweck’s concept of fixed versus growth mind-sets. At any given Mensa meeting of extremely high-IQ individuals you will find professors, surgeons, researchers, engineers, cops, firefighters, cooks, cabdrivers,

In uncertain times, especially when the stakes are high, all of us look for pockets of certainty. If that certainty is attached to a degree from Harvard or a profession like medicine, then many of us would be likely to overlook the bags under our kids’ eyes, knowing that we have helped them to secure a comfortable future. The problem is that this t

A Good Work Ethic “I’m going to keep at it” instead of “I quit” There is a consistency to the questions I field from parents who are disappointed by their child’s grades. “My kid is really smart but just doesn’t care about school. What can I do?” “My kid is really smart but cares more about her friends than her grades. What can I do?” “My kid is re

Keep at least the television and the cell phone, if not all electronics, out of the bedroom.

Even real self-esteem doesn’t contribute much to success.7 But success contributes mightily to self-esteem. Kids have to “do” something, and do it well, to get a self-esteem boost.

one in five American children and teens shows symptoms of a mental disorder and one in ten suffers from “mental illness severe enough to result in significant functional impairment.”