Four Things Parents Of Successful Kids Do

It’s comes as no surprise that parents only want the best for their kids.

While there’s no such thing as a guaranteed parenting-recipe for success, there are some factors (according to science) that can help.

Here are four things parents of successful children have in common.

1. They make their children do chores

Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of How to Raise an Adult, said in her TED Talk that parents should be less concerned with grades and more interested in ‘providing a foundation for their success built on things like love and chores.’

"The longest longitudinal study of humans ever conducted is called the Harvard Grant Study," she said. "It found that professional success in life, which is what we want for our kids, that professional success in life comes from having done chores as a kid, and the earlier you started, the better, that a roll-up-your-sleeves- and-pitch-in mindset, a mindset that says, there's some unpleasant work, someone's got to do it, it might as well be me, a mindset that says, I will contribute my effort to the betterment of the whole, that that's what gets you ahead in the workplace. Now, we all know this. You know this."

2. They teach their children how to be social

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University and Duke University found a link between social skills in Kindergarten and success as an adult. The study followed more than 700 children from kindergarten to 25-years-old and found those could interact with their peers were better off later in life.

"This study shows that helping children develop social and emotional skills is one of the most important things we can do to prepare them for a healthy future," said Kristin Schubert, program director at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which funded the research, in a release. "From an early age, these skills can determine whether a child goes to college or prison, and whether they end up employed or addicted."

3. They are less stressed

Like happiness is contagious, so too is stress. Research published in The Washington Post last year found the amount of time parents spend with children aged between three years and 11 years has no effect on how they turn out. That doesn’t mean spending time with your children isn’t important: it is. What it does mean, is that quality time trumps quality time. 

What does matter is stress: “Mothers’ stress, especially when mothers are stressed because of the juggling with work and trying to find time with kids, that may actually be affecting their kids poorly,” said co-author Kei Nomaguchi, a sociologist at Bowling Green State University.

They teach children “grit”

Angela Duckworth, a researcher who won a MacArthur "genius" grant for uncovering the personality trait called grit describes it as “passion and perseverance for very long-term goals.”

“Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint,’ she says in her TED Talk.

Studying grit in public schools, Angela said the grittier kids were significantly more likely to graduate.