In a recent post I encouraged you to read The Vanishing American Adult, by Ben Sasse.  The book calls parents to be intentional, tough-minded, and forward looking in raising their kids.  If we want our kids to grow up to be responsible and mature adults -who can climb life’s mountains –we must demand certain things of them when they are children -some things which run against the grain of what Sasse calls “soft parenting.”  I ran across a short article at the business magazine, Inc.com, Science Says the Most Successful Kids Have Parents Who Do These 9 Things.  While I am always a bit cautious about articles that claim “science says” and do not agree with every point in this article (i.e. #4), the article reinforces much of what Ben Sasse asserts.  It is okay, in fact, it is wise and good, to make your children work hard, to allow them to fail, to limit screen-time, and delay gratification of their desires.  The links in the article will take you to some fascinating articles and videos. (Every parent should read about the marshmallow study!)