Write your search in the input below and press enter.
Esc to close.

The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich

Peak Performance:
Not Just for Sports, for Life

  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
    • Recent
    • Athletes
    • Coaching
    • Sports Parenting
    • Sports Administrators
    • Life
    • Administrators
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Hello. Sign In

My Account
  • Login
  • Register
0
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk
Subscribe
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich
  • Recent
  • Athletes
  • Coaching
  • Sports Parenting
  • Life
  • Administrators
Home / Blog / Help Kids Improve Mental Health & Chances for Success with these Parenting Strategies

Help Kids Improve Mental Health & Chances for Success with these Parenting Strategies

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | Oct 04, 2022

No Comments

One of the more common themes I discuss with parents centers around best parenting approaches to use to strengthen relationships with kids, specifically as this applies to gaining greater compliance with family rules.  What is the psychology behind getting kids to willingly study, do their homework, commit to sports practice, and complete all responsibilities that come with being a kid?  Often when I first meet with parents their family expectations are vague, accountability is inconsistent, and consequences are lacking, and herein lies the problem why kids fail to live up to family expectations.  For example, telling your child to “do good and get your stuff done” might work for a select few, but most kids need far more than that with respect to specificity, accountability, and consequences for failing to complete tasks.  The approach I am about to discuss not only increases efficiency and productivity, it also improves mental health.

Breaking down the basics

Helping kids succeed in life is no small task, but there are a few basic concepts that will help you toward this pursuit.  Using basic psychology, patience, and empathy, parents will benefit from employing a parenting model that includes the following:

  • Clear expectations.  Kids will improve proficiency in the tasks they face when they are provided encouragement with clear and specific instructions.  For example, telling a kid to “work harder” at school is not nearly as effective as specifying the class(es) that need to most help, along with a written improvement plan to follow.  When it comes to house rules, kids need to know exactly what is expected of them when it comes to cleaning around the house, their curfew, driving limitations, and rules around screen time.  When parents are casual in their expectations and general with their language, kids are left confused about expectations and often fail to live up to family rules as a result.  For example, saying “read pages 10-20” is better than saying “go study,” and telling your child to “be home by 11” is better than saying “don’t stay out late.”
  • Accountability.  What consequences do your kids face when they disrespect family rules?  For some families the answer to this question is “essentially none,” and this can lead to big problems.  Similar to how you will have to pay a fine if you are ticketed for speeding, your kids need to know that they are also accountable for their actions — and that consequences will follow.  When kids are held accountable for the decisions and behaviors, only then will they begin to weigh out future actions against the cost of choosing to ignore responsibilities.
  • Consequences.  There are consequences for our actions in life, and this applies to kids, too.  It is important for parents to spell out specific actions that will occur when your kids decide to blow off homework, leave their room a mess, or come home way past their curfew.  Consequences need to be appropriate to the violation, consistent, and delivered with future instructions how to right the problem (authoritative parenting).

Final thoughts

Before you go down the road that your child can’t be helped, or that you will need to take dramatic steps to help your kid improve (i.e. seeking out any kind of psychopharmalogical drugs that might “work”), do a self-audit on how you are doing with the concepts discussed in this article.  The level of happiness and success your kids experience are directly related to how you parent, and employing specificity with future goals, accountability for actions, and consequences for breaking rules will help your kids reach their full potential.

drstankovich.com

health, kids, mental, parenting, psychology, strategies

  • Author
  • Comments
  • Details
Get to Know the Author

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Dr. Stankovich has written/co-written five books, including Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, The ParentsPlaybook, Mind of Steel.

Latest Blog Posts

  • May 6, 2025 Beyond the Numbers: How Overusing Sport Analytics Can Undermine Expert Judgment
  • April 21, 2025 Juggling Sports and Schedules: The Hidden Costs of Playing Multiple Sports
  • April 17, 2025 Earning Power: College Athletes Aren’t Greedy, They’re Just No Longer Free Labor
  • April 16, 2025 Decoding Intuition: What Happens When We Follow Our Inner Compass?
  • April 8, 2025 Precision, Purpose, Performance: The Psychology of Efficiency in Success

PREVIOUS POST

Improve Mental Health by Overcoming these Four Common Obstacles

NEXT POST

Maximize Athletic Potential & Sport Success through Holistic Training

Category

Confidence , Emotional Intelligence , Focus , Habit Change , health , health psychology , Leadership , Life , mental health , Parent Training , Performance Enhancement , psychology , Uncategorized

Tags

health, kids, mental, parenting, psychology, strategies

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • Beyond the Numbers: How Overusing Sport Analytics Can Undermine Expert Judgment
  • Juggling Sports and Schedules: The Hidden Costs of Playing Multiple Sports
  • Earning Power: College Athletes Aren’t Greedy, They’re Just No Longer Free Labor
  • Decoding Intuition: What Happens When We Follow Our Inner Compass?
  • Precision, Purpose, Performance: The Psychology of Efficiency in Success
  • The Importance of Passion & Purpose for Sport Success
  • How Human Arousal Impacts Sport Performance
  • Bouncing Back: How Coaches Can Help Kids Learn from a Tough Loss
  • Learn Sports Fear Reduction with these 5 Psychology Tips
  • Why Does Your Kid Play Great in Practice, but Not in Games?
  • The Sports Doc on TV

    Catch Dr. Stankovich’s tv, radio, and print interviews and columns here!

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Watch Videos
  • Sport Performance Assessment

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Quickly and accurately test your level of mental toughness in just a few minutes using the Sport Performance Assessment.

    (SPA), an easy-to-use sport psychology system specially designed to help you REACH YOUR FULL ATHLETIC POTENTIAL.

    learn more
  • SportsSuccess360

    Life strategies for performance and character development for coaches, parents, and student athletes competing in youth and interscholastic sports.

    Life Strategies learn more
  • Contact Dr. Stankovich

    1207 Grandview Ave., Suite #218, Columbus, OH 43212

    (614) 561-4482

    Media & General Inquiries

    information@drstankovich.com

    Sales & Product Support

    sales@drstankovich.com

  • About Dr. Stankovich

    • Media
    • Blog
    • Testimonials
  • Products

    • Toolkits
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Audio
    • iPhone Apps
  • Services

    • Athlete Performance Training
    • Parent Community Forum
    • Coach Education & Development
    • Athletic Crisis Response and Intervention
    • Drug & Alcohol Assessment
    • Life Success Programs
    • Counseling & Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • twitter
  • facebook

All rights reserved © 2025 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓