GRIT

I want my kid to develop grit. When should I expect him or her to have the single-minded focus of mature world-class achievers?

Raising your children according to the Hard Thing Rule: Do something that requires deliberate practice, don't quit in the middle of the season or the semester, and pick the hard thing yourself.

For your child, there may be a long succession of fun-but-not-yet-hard things, each an opportunity to explore and, eventually, be something to pursue with seriousness.

I'd like to propose that parents who want to cultivate grit in their children abide by the Hard Thing Rule and, in addition, the Fun Thing Rule. Ask your kids to do something that will teach them, through experience, deliberate practice and resilience.But also make sure they're doing things that they find interesting and enjoyable, even if it doesn't seem that they could ever lead to anything more serious.

Why? Because the ultimate goal is to grow up to develop a calling a fun thing that is also a hard thing.