How Children Thrive: Raising Independent, Resilient, Happy Kids

How do children thrive? As a parent, you probably think about this all the time. You want your children to have happy, healthy, and meaningful lives—but what’s the best way to support them? In this episode, developmental pediatrician and parent Dr. Mark Bertin provides a positive, simple, and empowering approach for raising children of all ages, and discusses his book How Children Thrive. Bringing together mindfulness, new science on brain development, and the messy reality of being a parent, Dr. Bertin has a created a breakthrough guide that will help children—and their parents—flourish.
Research has shown that the key to raising resilient, kind, and independent children lies in executive function, our mental capacity to manage just about everything in life. “Despite its wonky, overly scientific name, there is nothing complicated about building executive function,” Dr. Bertin writes. “It’s actually a lot more straightforward and less anxiety-provoking than most of the parenting advice out there.” Through concise, easily applied chapters, Dr. Bertin provides simple strategies for helping your children develop healthy EF while taking care of yourself and enjoying your family. 

“The pressure to be the perfect parent is overwhelming,” writes Dr. Bertin, “but the truth is the job is too challenging and varied to ever be done to perfection.” With compassion and reassurance, Dr. Bertin presents a relaxed, instinctual, and evidence-based approach to raising children who thrive.