Author: Chien Liu

Understanding how decision-makingcapacity develops across childhoodis one of the most practically usefulthings a parent can know. It explainswhy the five-year-old cannot reliablyresist the immediate appeal of atreat in favor of a better rewardlater. It explains why the fourteen-year-oldmakes decisions in groups that theywould never make alone. And it explainswhat kinds of decision-making supportare genuinely helpful…

One of the most important and mostcounterintuitive things research tellsus about raising children is thatstepping back — allowing childrento make their own choices, to experiencethe consequences, and to developtheir own judgment — is often morebeneficial than stepping in. For parents who love their childrendeeply and want the best for them,allowing children to make choicesthat might…

Confidence is one of the qualitiesparents most want for their children —and one of the hardest to assessaccurately. The child who is loudand assertive is not necessarily confident.The child who is quiet and reservedis not necessarily lacking in confidence.The child who performs brilliantlyin public may be driven by anxietyrather than genuine self-assurance. The research on…

Sensitive children — those who feelthings deeply, who are easily overwhelmedby intense stimulation, who noticesubtleties that others miss, and whorespond more intensely to both positiveand negative experiences — are amongthe most misunderstood children inthe parenting literature. They are frequently told they are“too sensitive,” encouraged to toughenup, and pushed into situations thatoverwhelm rather than develop them.And…

One of the most important things parentscan do for their children’s long-termdevelopment is to give them practicemaking real decisions — at every age,within appropriate limits, with realconsequences. But knowing which decisionsare appropriate for which ages is notalways obvious — and getting it wrongin either direction has costs. Too much decision-making too earlyoverwhelms children with choices…

Authoritarian parenting is one of thefour parenting styles identified inDiana Baumrind’s foundational research —and the one most commonly associatedwith strict, demanding, old-fashionedparenting. It is also one of the mostmisunderstood — frequently confusedwith authoritative parenting, andfrequently defended as the approachthat produces disciplined, respectful,high-achieving children. The research tells a more nuanced story.This article covers what authoritarianparenting actually…

Decision-making is one of the mostimportant life skills a child willdevelop — and one of the least explicitlytaught. Most parents assume that childrenwill learn to make good decisions throughexperience — and they will, to someextent. The research suggests thatintentional, supported practice ofdecision-making produces significantlybetter outcomes than experience alone. This article covers what the researchshows about…

A strong sense of identity — a clear,stable, and positive understandingof who one is — is one of the mostimportant foundations of psychologicalwellbeing across the lifespan. Researchconsistently finds that people witha strong sense of identity show bettermental health, stronger relationships,greater resilience in the face ofadversity, and more purposeful engagementwith life than those whose senseof self…

Permissive parenting is one of thefour parenting styles identified inDiana Baumrind’s foundational research —and the one most commonly confusedwith good parenting in contemporaryculture. The emphasis on warmth,responsiveness, and child-centerednessthat characterizes permissive parentingfeels intuitively right to many parents —and the research consistently findsthat it produces worse outcomes thanthe approach that combines thosequalities with clear structure and…

Screen time is one of the most debatedtopics in contemporary parenting —and one of the most anxiety-inducing.Parents are bombarded with warningsabout the dangers of screens, conflictingadvice about time limits, and guiltabout their own screen use. The researchon children and screens is more nuancedand more specific than most populardiscussions acknowledge. This article covers what the researchactually…