Focus on the Family with Jim Daly Helping Your Child Develop Resilience (Part 2 of 2)
Jan 21, 2026
Dr. Kathy Cook, an educational psychologist and author of 'Resilient Kids,' shares invaluable insights on nurturing resilience in children. She explains what defines resilient kids—emotional regulation, confidence, and gratitude. Kathy emphasizes the importance of teaching children to recover from setbacks and highlights five core needs: security, identity, and belonging. Her practical tips include fostering healthy self-talk and modeling availability for open communication. Through spiritual teachings, she encourages kids to strengthen their faith and resilience.
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Resilience Defined And Why It Matters
- Resiliency means readily recovering from difficulty, disappointment, trauma, failure, grief, and shame.
- Kathy Cook says resilience lets children become who God intended and develops character, faith, and problem-solving.
Prioritize Availability And Truthfulness
- Build security so children know who they can trust by being honest, available, and non-shaming.
- Kathy Cook instructs parents to be truthful and present so kids will come with struggles rather than seek others.
Identity Follows Security
- Identity (who am I?) follows security and shapes how children enter relationships with confidence.
- Kathy Cook explains speaking life into kids helps them seek positive influences and avoid negative groups.
