Three Ways to Raise Competent — and Confident — Children
It’s one thing to say you want to raise competent children. It’s an entirely different thing to know how to raise competent children. This post explores three practical ways in which you can help your children to become competent—and confident—people. Catchphrases for Competence My 8-year-old, Catie, came up with our family’s catchphrase for competence when […]
Read MoreNew York Times Profile of Mikaela Shiffrin
The New York Times published a lengthy and in-depth profile of Mikaela Shiffrin recently. The article provides a great exploration of how Mikaela has risen so far so quickly as an alpine ski racer while also developing into a mature, happy, and just plain nice young woman. I had several take-aways from the article that […]
Read MoreEating Marshmallows Doesn’t Predict Future Success
Many of you may be familiar with the famous “marshmallow” experiments conducted by the psychologist Walter Mischel in 1960s and ’70s. In the studies, 4-year-old children have two marshmallows (or another treat) placed in front of them and told that they can either eat one right away or wait to eat two when the researcher […]
Read MoreAmerican Parents Can Learn from Their International Counterparts
I just read an very interesting and thought-provoking article about the differences in child rearing around the world. The recommendations are very consistent with my own views on raising children.
Read More5 “Dangerous” Things Parents Should Do to Their Children
I thoroughly enjoyed Gever Tully’s TED video of “5 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do” and agree with his thesis that parents these days are far too protective of their children. Paradoxically, in parents’ well-intentioned attempts at protecting their children from harm, they actually leave them less prepared for the real dangers that your kids will face later in life. I also concur that exposing kids to a little danger can be beneficial to their development. Exposure to what are for them risky experiences, such as using power tools, fire, or a pocket knife, can build confidence, resilience, competence, respect, and responsibility, as well as develop cognitive, emotional, and motor skills that will help children as they transition into adulthood. Of course, it’s easy for Mr. Tully to make this argument when he doesn’t have kids; he doesn’t have the hard-wired “protect your children to ensure their survival” instinct kick in at the first sign of danger. Though exposing children to Mr. Tully’s tangible dangers offers many benefits, I would argue that the dangers that he wants you to expose them to are far less threatening than they actually are because the potentially harmful consequences are immediate and will surely be mitigated by a watchful—though hopefully not overly intrusive—parent. In contrast, I would suggest that you can do five things to your children that are far more “dangerous,” yet will have a far greater impact on them as they develop.
Read MoreMikaela Says it Best: In Ski Racing, “Embrace” Adversity
As I noted in an article I wrote last winter, Ski Racing is One Brutal Sport. The fact is that our sport throws so much at racers, it can be a more than a bit overwhelming. Just a few of the challenges that racers must confront include the course itself, terrain, snow conditions, and weather. […]
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