A school counselor cites a Yale study showing wealthy teens are three times more likely to experience anxiety, depression, and addiction than lower-income peers, attributing it to high-pressure environments without emotional support. She recommends families discuss failures openly at dinner to help kids build resilience.
What I'm going to be sharing might irritate you, but I have to say this anyway. You know, the children who are breaking down fastest aren't the poor kids, they're actually the privileged ones. Yale found teenagers who are in rich families 3 times more likely to battle anxiety, addiction, and depression. You know why? Because they live in pressure cookers with no anchor. Expectations are sky-high, but emotional support is low. I have seen these brilliant kids crumble at the smallest setback when I was a school counselor because nobody taught them how to fail. What is very important to teach our children is how to succeed, but it is also how to handle failure. So today I encourage you at your dinner table, share your stories of difficult days with your kids and ask your child, "What is something that felt tough for you today? Where did you fail?" And then just appreciate them, acknowledge their effort, and say, "It's all right. I failed. You will fail. But we'll all get through this."
