61. Avoid putting too much pressure on kids with Dr. Christopher Thurber

We all want to help kiddos reach their full potential. However, when we put them under too much pressure, there can be serious consequences for kids.

While we certainly want to set expectations for children and encourage them, the pressure to constantly perform well in any and all parts of life can lower their motivation and lead to mental health problems. Especially when kids feel like every test or every performance is going to make or break their future success.

You can also watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/B07lMxmXY5g

In today's episode, I had the incredible opportunity to chat with Dr. Christopher Thurber. We discuss findings from  his new book, The Unlikely Art of Parental Pressure: A Positive Approach to Pushing Your Child to Be Their Best Self including the ways that parental pressure can be harmful and what to do instead. Dr. Thurber shares practical examples that we all can apply in our work with families (or as parents ourselves!).

Be sure to tune in to today's episode.

Learn more about Dr. Christopher Thurber:

Dr. Christopher Thurber enjoys creating and sharing original content for business leaders, independent educators, and youth development professionals. He is a board-certified clinical psychologist, educator, author, and father. Chris earned his BA from Harvard University in 1991 and a PhD in clinical psychology from UCLA in 1997.

A dedicated teacher from a young age, Chris has more than 30 years of experience working with camps and independent schools. He has written numerous book chapters and scholarly articles on leadership, homesickness, and youth development. An awardwinning contributor to Camping Magazine and Camp Business, Chris has also shared his opinions and expertise on national and international radio, television, print media, podcasts, and webinars, including the Today Show, NPR, and CNN.

In 2007, Chris co-founded ExpertOnlineTraining.com, which quickly became the Internet’s most popular and respected educational resource for youth leaders. The hundreds of thousands of subscribers to this library of video training modules come from 43 different countries. Chris also coauthored the critically acclaimed Summer Camp Handbook with Dr. Jon Malinowski. This award-winning preparatory resource was recently translated into Mandarin to support the burgeoning camp movement in China. Chris also designed the only empirically-validated homesickness prevention program, called Prep4Camp.

During the academic year, Chris serves as one of the psychologists and instructors at Phillips Exeter Academy, an independent secondary school. He and his wife, Simonida, an analytical chemist and musician, live in New Hampshire with their sons Danilo, born in 2002, and Sava, born in 2004. You can learn more about Chris, and access all of his publications and resources, by visiting his website, DrChrisThurber.com.

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