the seven principles for raising a self-driven child: a workbook

From the authors of What Do You Say? and The Self-Driven Child, a workbook of vital practices and step-by-step resources for parents striving to raise self-motivated, secure, and joyfully driven children

A guide to move from understanding the science and value behind nonanxious parenting to developing and sharpening the essential skills parents need to be a trusted resource for growing kids.

Authors William Stixrud and Ned Johnson have watched firsthand as the crisis around education and the mental health crisis in childhood have converged in the postpandemic years. Their book The Self-Driven Child was ahead of the curve in addressing the way these forces converge in adolescents at pivotal moments as children develop their sense of autonomy, ambition, self-discipline, and learning style. As the authors have continued to lecture on the book’s subject, parents have again and again homed in on the value of the model dialogues and practice prompts.

Using material from their current work with parents and children, and pulling essential principles from the science in The Self-Driven Child, this workbook guides parents to develop the practice of being a nonanxious presence in children’s lives, as well as introducing essential skills for navigating the pressure cooker of school. With prompts to help parents diagnose and rewire their instinctual response​s to stressful situations, exercises to give them the language to communicate clearly and calmly, and lists to keep anxiety responses in check and big-picture goals in view, this workbook will bring peace and clarity to parents and educators seeking to support the unique path each child traverses on the road to growing up.

William Stixrud, PhD, is a clinical neuropsychologist and a faculty member at Children’s National Medical Center and George Washington University Medical School. He lectures widely on the adolescent brain, meditation, and the effects of stress, sleep deprivation, and technology overload on the brain. He has published several influential scientific articles and is on the board of the David Lynch Foundation.

Ned Johnson is the founder of PrepMatters, a tutoring service in Washington, DC, and the coauthor of Conquering the SAT: How Parents Can Help Teens Overcome the Pressure and Succeed. A sought-after speaker and teen coach for study skills, parent-teen dynamics, and anxiety management, he has had his work featured on NPR and PBS NewsHour and in U.S. News & World Report, Time, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.