Raising Emotionally and Socially Healthy Kids

Parents can play a major role in helping or hindering children's development of emotional regulation skills. Consider the factors that make emotion regulation difficult for kids and learn techniques for teaching your children to understand and cope with their feelings, both in a "meltdown" situation and on an ongoing everyday basis.

Fear is a necessary emotion. But when a child's responses to perceived threats are more intense, pervasive, and enduring than the situation warrants, anxiety can become a serious problem. Pick up practical ways you can help children learn to cope with the thoughts and behaviors that trigger and accompany anxiety, as well as anxiety's physical manifestations.

Are timeouts productive? How should punishment be used, if at all? Learn how to respond constructively to children's anger and help kids learn to manage and communicate it in healthy, non-aggressive ways. Gain practical strategies for inspiring cooperation from kids of various ages and avoiding power struggles.

All the parental praise and cheerleading in the world won't make a child develop authentic self-esteem. Discover the important developmental changes that occur in children's self-concepts over time, and how parents can support self-esteem at each stage. Then, take an in-depth look at the core components of authentic self-esteem at any age.

Empathy involves more than just "being nice." Explore the three interwoven strands of empathy - affective resonance, cognitive perspective taking, and motivation for compassionate behavior. Then, look closely at three more general ways of helping children develop empathy, including challenging empathy exceptions and giving kids a path forward when they behave in unkind ways.

Parents can't make their children happy - what they can do is help them develop the skills and attitudes that contribute to happiness. Gain strategies for guiding and supporting kids in building a life that incorporates pleasure, engagement, and meaning, from teaching them how to relish positive experiences to helping them break free from perfectionism.