Unleashing Kids' Potential

March 2000  -  Ask any parent.  It's tough raising kids.  We live in an era when more and more children are at risk.  What makes some children flourish while others do not?  Karen Waldron, professor of education at Trinity University, is writing a book titled, Unleashing Kids' Potential: What Parents, Grandparents, and Teachers Need to Know.  She is compiling published research and combining it with a lifetime of personal and professional experiences to help parents with strategies to beat the odds and raise resilient children and teens.  "What can we do as parents to provide an environment for at-risk children to thrive?" asks Waldron. The strongest factor for children who have made it is that he or she bonded strongly with an adult.  "Kids are at risk because they don't have time with their parents," says Waldron, who is quick to point out that there is no need for parental guilt.  "There are many ways to get in touch with your children," says Waldron.  "Turn off the computer, have your teenager leave the headphones off when you're driving them to school, only watch television when there is something worth watching."  She also says it is important for parents to maintain control in the household.  "It won't make you popular, but a child needs responsibility for making decisions and taking care of chores independently.  They aren't young adults."  Waldron acknowledges that parents giving in to their child's every demand and whim--what she terms "parent abuse syndrome"--occurs because parents want their children to enjoy their childhood.  "But you're not helping them." To find out more about ways to help children become resilient despite adversity in their lives, Susie P. Gonzalez at (210) 999-8406 or e-mail Susie.Gonzalez@Trinity.edu.

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Last updated on June 7, 2000 by the Office of Public Relations