{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Thriving Kids","title":"Should You Let Your Kid Fail? A Parent Q&A on Pressure, Resilience, and Emotions","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1660,"description":"In this Q&A edition of Thriving Kids, Dr. Dave Anderson answers listener questions following last week’s conversation with Jennifer Wallace on toxic achievement culture and helping kids feel like they matter.\n\nParents asked practical, hard questions about failure, pressure, motivation, and emotional regulation. This episode focuses on striking a balance — between support and independence, structure and flexibility, and validation and limits.\n\nQuestions cover:\nNatural consequences vs. stepping in – Did you rob your child of a lesson by rescuing a forgotten school project? How to decide based on context and stakes.\nKids who cheat because they hate losing – What’s developmentally normal at younger ages, when rule-following matters for peer relationships, and how to address cheating without turning games into power struggles.\nPaying kids for good grades – Does it increase pressure? How to use rewards thoughtfully and fade them out over time.\nWhen your child says, “I suck at this” – How to respond to negative self-talk and  helping kids move from self-blame to problem-solving.\nThe brutal car ride home after a loss – Why “I loved watching you play” can backfire and how to ask your teen what support they actually need.\nWhen schools make failure feel high-stakes – What to say when mistakes lead to remedial groups or lost electives and how parents can act as “counter-programming” to achievement culture.\nKey takeaways:\nThere is rarely one “right” parenting move.\nKids need both scaffolding and space to struggle.\nPressure affects children differently.\nValidation doesn’t mean fixing feelings.\nEffort matters more than perfection.\nThis episode is especially helpful if you’re parenting a child who is sensitive to failure, a perfectionist, or feeling overwhelmed by expectations at school or in sports.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/MDrkVBxL9DiP-AOjpXeqSeDkDXWr4TZ1Gmxkp6wFi2w/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8zYTEy/ZWQ4NDgzMTE5YmUw/ZjEzYTJiMjIwNWM5/MDgyMy5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}