When my kids were little, river rafting and camping became our yearly vacation ritual. I was a born-and-bred New York City girl who believed that participating in the great outdoors meant putting the screens on the windows in the summer.

However, when difficult material presents itself, the performance-oriented kids do poorly, while the mastery-oriented kids do well. The best way we can help our children welcome challenges is to encourage them to work just outside their comfort zone, stand by to lend a hand when needed,

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

Sleep restores us physically, emotionally, and cognitively. It should be at the top of our list of parenting priorities.

No parent should tolerate what has become a culturally normalized form of child abuse—sleep deprivation, repetitive stress injuries from early and excessive athletics, overwhelming academic stress, and a complete disregard for the known protective factors of child development.

While we all hope our children will do well in school, we hope with even greater fervor that they will do well in life. Our job is to help them to know and appreciate themselves deeply; to approach the world with zest; to find work that is exciting and satisfying, friends and spouses who are loving and loyal; and to hold a deep belief that they

PROVIDE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR CHILD TO PRACTICE EMPATHIC BEHAVIOR Whenever practical, take your child with you when you’re involved in community service. Donating or sorting clothes, cooking or delivering meals, visiting the elderly or the needy are all opportunities for your children to learn that thinking past their own needs is a good

No school or profession can guarantee success, financial or otherwise. The child who values close connections with mentoring adults is unlikely to feel successful at a large, impersonal school, no matter how prestigious. And the child whose blood runs music is not likely to feel successful in a dental program. While every protective parenting bone

The precursor to authentic success is the growth of a sense of self that feels robust and genuine.