Raising mentally strong kids doesn’t mean teaching children to suppress emotions or simply “toughen up.” It means helping them develop the skills to manage thoughts, emotions and actions when life gets difficult.
In this Where Parents Talk podcast conversation, psychotherapist and bestselling author Amy Morin shares practical advice for parents raising tweens, teens and young adults. She explains how parents can build resilience by allowing children to experience manageable disappointment, failure and natural consequences while providing guidance and support.
The conversation explores how to teach emotional regulation, healthy coping skills, confidence, persistence and personal responsibility. Morin also addresses common parenting challenges including helicopter parenting, parenting out of guilt, overprotecting children, seeking constant reassurance and relying too heavily on praise and external validation.
With social media and smartphones adding another layer of pressure for today’s children, Morin explains why emotional regulation and the ability to tolerate boredom, sadness and discomfort are important skills to develop before kids spend more time online.
For parents looking for practical, research-informed ways to raise confident, resilient and emotionally capable children, this conversation offers actionable strategies that can be incorporated into everyday family life.
AMY MORIN
Licensed Psychotherapist
Speaker
Podcast host
Bestselling Author
Former foster parent
“There’s three parts to mental strength. It’s about the way you think, the way you feel, and the way that you behave.”
