The ‘Five R's' of raising resilient kids, according to an Ivy League-trained doctor

If you want your kids to excel at a subject in school, you help them with their homework or hire a tutor. If you want them to be resilient, or able to recover from disappointment and handle stress, the path is less straightforward.

In a new book, the author tries to make the journey to raising resilient kids a little less opaque. The author, a developmental psychologist and co-founder of a parenting center, believes that instead of protecting kids from hardship, parents should teach them how to work through it.

The book defines the “Five R’s” of raising resilient kids. These include building strong relationships, reflecting on moments throughout the day, teaching self-regulation, enforcing clear and consistent rules, and reinforcing the importance of relationships through repair.

The goal is to strengthen the relationship between parents and children, so that children feel cared for and are more likely to bounce back from life’s challenges.