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The Breakthrough Years. With Ellen Galinsky

Adolescence is a transformative and extremely important time in human development. In her latest book, The Breakthrough Years, Ellen Galinsky shares what the research and adolescents need us to understand.

What I Talked About

What adolescents want us to know about them
What exactly are executive function skills, and why are they so crucial to children’s development
What can parents do to help their children develop executive function skills?
Why turning conflicts into opportunities for learning is critical for all
Agreeing and setting clear expectations with your children and leaving room for mistakes

Things to Remember

“Parents grow and change in parenthood just like children grow and change.”

“Executive function skills are the building blocks for setting goals, perspective-taking, communicating, collaborating, and problem-solving. They are fundamental to life.”

“Don’t fix it for the child; instead, help them learn the skills to fix it for themselves.”

“We need to make mistakes. Making mistakes isn’t a mistake. It’s the way we learn.”

“We learn by trial and error, particularly in teenage years.”

“The most important thing we can do as parents is to help our children find their passion.”

“Adolescents are learning to be brave.”

“We need to help them be creators. Not Consumers.”

“Young people who do best in the world have something they care about beyond themselves.”

― Ellen Galinsky

Additional Resources

Books By Ellen Galinsky:

The Breakthrough Years: A New Scientific Framework for Raising Thriving Teens
Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs
The Six Stages Of Parenthood

Information about my mother, Perdita Huston

Families As We Are: Conversations from Around the World by Perdita Huston

Learn more about Downhill Skateboarding with Adrien’s latest race.

Let’s Continue the conversation…

Now, Ellen and I want to hear from you!

What if the teenage years weren’t something to fear but a breakthrough opportunity for growth? Listen in as my guest, Ellen Galinsky, unveils a fresh approach.

Remember, The Art of Parenting was created for you. If you have any suggestions for experts, I should have on the show or parenting questions you want to be answered. Please let me know here.

More About My Guest

Ellen Galinsky is the President of the Families and Work Institute, President of the Work and Family Researchers Network (WFRN), and senior advisor at ACF at HHS.

Previous jobs include Chief Science Officer at the Bezos Family Foundation and faculty at Bank Street College.

Her work involves identifying important societal questions, researching to seek answers, and turning the findings into action.

Her research is focused on work-life, children’s development, youth voice, child-care, parent-professional relationship, and parental development.

She’s the author of Mind in the Making and The Breakthrough Years (forthcoming). She’s also authored 90 books/reports and 360 articles.

Career highlights include serving as President of NAEYC, fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources, parent expert on the Mister Rogers Talks with Parents TV series, receiving a Distinguished Achievement Award from Vassar College, and receiving the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award from WFRN.