What Skills Do You Want Your Kids to Have?

Plus: Is is bad to give your screaming kid some space if they ask for it?

Few things are more exciting — and terrifying — than embarking on a new book project. I know I’ve done it before, but that really doesn’t make it any easier. If anything, it makes it scarier. Can I actually pull this off again? What if the second book isn’t as good as the first one? How the heck did I ever write 80,000 words and how am I going to do it this time in 8 months? And 15 chapters, each on a totally different topic? Helllllllllllllppppppp!!!

One thing I’m reminding myself to do is to lean into my resources and relationships. From my first book, and the work I’ve done for this newsletter, I’ve met and interviewed so many smart scientists and therapists, whom I’m hoping I can count on to help with this book, too.

But I also keep coming back to you. You, my thoughtful subscribers. As I’ve gotten to know you in this community over the past few years, I’ve learned that you are a treasure trove of wisdom. You think deeply about the issues our children are going to face. You are deep in the parenting trenches and know what matters and why. You have your finger on the pulse of what our kids desperately need.

So even though I’ve already identified some of the key skills I believe are crucial for kids to have in order to navigate this increasingly complex world, I want to hear your thoughts on it, too. What are the main things you worry about with regard to your kids? What are the characteristics you think they will need to navigate the world and help address its ills? What skills do you feel are lacking in some kids today?

Whatever’s on your mind, I want to hear it. Please share in the comments.

What Should We Do When Kids Beg Us To Leave Them Alone?

And now for this week’s

Today I’m commenting on this Instagram post from @DrBeckyAtGoodInside, which has more than 32,000 (!!) likes. It’s a series of four images, which I’ll share here in order:

Here are my thoughts.