Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids To Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World

Levine (The Price of Privilege) notes that anxiety is the number one diagnosed mental health disorder for both adults and children. Anxiety affects our children’s ability to thrive mentally and emotionally in a world that is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Moreover, actions and decisions stemming from our own anxiety keep children from experiencing adversity that, channeled properly, can result in character growth and the ability to face challenges in their adult years. Maintaining a goal of growth rather than a fixed mind-set is necessary to help kids during their formative years, when the brain is developing and their thinking is flexible. Levine argues that soft skills, data analysis, and critical thinking will move our children forward in an unpredictable world, and that focusing too heavily on grades and performance only furthers a child’s struggles to get ahead.