Growing Optimism
How parents can supercharge
their child's attitude

What made the difference in the two men? Surely they both saw the same flaws and cracks - but one had a positive attitude and decided to accept the challenges laid out before him. As parents, we would all like to instill this positive attitude in our children. After all, people with a positive attitude are much more fun to be around, and get farther in life. They are better employees, spouses, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

Since, as parents, we would all like our children to be all that they can be, we went to the experts for advice on how to supercharge their positive attitudes.

As a child psychologist practicing in Tucson, Dr. Anthony Luick sees children of all ages, and has done an extensive amount of research on teens and risk behaviors. Dr. Luick says that positive attitudes are just one part of the foundation of values and ideals that parents teach their children.

"When our children are young, parenting is very much a control issue," says Dr. Luick, who teaches a parenting class through St. Gregory's Parent Association on being an active parent. "As they get older, we influence behavior more than control it. With teens, we can't control their behavior at all.