
The Seven Principles for Raising a Self-Driven Child
A Workbook
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Narrated by:
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Ned Johnson
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William Stixrud PhD
About this listen
From the authors of 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 responses 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.
* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF of workbook exercises.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2025 William Stixrud and Ned Johnson (P)2025 Penguin AudioCritic reviews
“[The Seven Principles for Raising a Self-Driven Child] explains how to calmly give [kids] control over their lives and emotions instead of relying on test scores or a college acceptance letter to dictate happiness.”—The Boston Globe
“Finally, a parenting book that doesn't add to your anxiety—it relieves it. Through practical exercises and tools, The Seven Principles for Raising a Self-Driven Child guides you from control to connection, helping you become the parent you want to be. As someone drowning in parenting books and constant self-doubt, I found this workbook to be different. It's not another list of 'shoulds'—it's a pathway to understanding how to step back, trust your children's inherent capabilities, and nurture their independence. Stixrud and Johnson offer a refreshing approach that benefits both parent and child, turning daily power struggles into opportunities for growth. If you're ready to trade perfectionism for peace and micromanaging for mutual respect, this workbook will show you how.”—Jeffrey Selingo, higher education expert and author of Who Gets in and Why? A Year Inside College Admissions
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