Two fundamental principles are at the root of resilience. First, a parent’s unconditional love is the most important force in a child’s life. It offers the unwavering security that helps young people develop the confidence to walk through life’s puddles. Unconditional love has to be coupled with high expectations for effort, character and morality. Otherwise, a child will feel nurtured, but not learn to hold himself to high standards. Second, a child will never learn life’s lessons if he is protected from experiencing them. This point has to be tempered with the fact that children need protection from challenges that can bring irreparable harm.
These fundamental principles are anything but simple. The challenge of parenting is how to apply these core principles in a complicated world. It doesn’t matter what we know to be right, what we wrestle with is how to do it.
Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, M.D., M.S. Ed, is a pediatrician specializing in Adolescent Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and Co-Founder and Director of Programs at Center for Parent and Teen Communication. He is the author of Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings, Reaching Teens Strength-Based Communication Strategies To Build Resilience and Support Healthy Adolescent Development and Raising Kids to Thrive: Balancing Love with Expectations and Protection with Trust,
Dr. Ginsburg also serves Philadelphia’s homeless youth as Director of Health Services at Covenant House Pennsylvania. The theme that ties together his clinical practice, teaching, research and advocacy efforts is that of building on the strength of teenagers by fostering their internal resilience. His goal is to translate the best of what is known from research and practice into practical approaches parents, professionals and communities can use to prepare children and teens to thrive.
Fostering Resilience web site HERE
Parent Toolkit web site HERE Parent Toolkit is a one-stop shop resource that was produced and developed with parents in mind, Ginsburg is on the Health & Wellness Expert panel
