Tenacity in Children

"This book will change our schools, our approach to mental health and parenting, and how we conduct civil life." Maurice J. Elias

Tenacity in Children

Nurturing the Seven Instincts for Lifetime Success

Sam Goldstein Ph.D and Robert B. Brooks Ph.D

Tenacity in Children provides a solid emotional and cognitive foundation to prepare children for a resilient and happy future. It offers well-defined guideposts for adults committed to providing every child with the opportunity to access, strengthen, and employ these instincts as they negotiate childhood and passage into adult life.

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Help Kids Learn About Tenacity

Join Poppy and Graham on their quest to learn about the seven instincts of tenacity.

Sam Goldstein Ph.D and Robert B. Brooks Ph.D

Poppy and Graham's Quest for Tenacity is an engaging graphic book that follows two spirited characters on a journey filled with challenges, using their adventures as allegories to teach the seven instincts of tenacity and resilience through powerful storytelling and visuals. This combines entertainment with valuable life lessons for children and educators.

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In 2001, psychologists Drs. Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein transformed the mindsets of parents and professionals with their innovative and ground-breaking book, Raising Resilient Children. With the publication of their fourteenth co-authored book, Tenacity in Children: Nurturing the Seven Instincts for Lifetime Success, Goldstein and Brooks are poised once again to transform mindsets as we prepare children to transition into adult life. In this new work they introduce the ground-breaking concept of tenacity, building upon their previous work in defining the essential triad of human development: resilience, self-discipline, and tenacity.

About The Book

Tenacity in Children examines how multiple generations of parents and extended family have raised children to become successful adults addressing the foundational question: How did they do it?

Until relatively recent times in human history, there were no schools or organized institutions, nor were parenting books available. Rather, children were raised by parents and other adults who drew on the seven important instincts that evolved across tens of thousands of years in the human species. This volume highlights the ways in which these instincts are more important than ever in preparing children for tomorrow’s successes.

Praise for Tenacity in Children

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“In Tenacity in Children: Nurturing the Seven Instincts for Lifetime Success, Drs. Goldstein and Brooks offer compelling evidence for a contrasting model that states that children are instinctively empathetic and motivated and the goal of caregivers is to nurture, foster, and develop these attributes in the children they serve. The collaboration of these two esteemed psychologists has been impacting on our field for decades and this new book continues that tradition.”

Richard D. Lavoie, M.A., M. Ed.,

Author, It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend: Helping Children with Learning Disabilities Find Social Success

“I took great joy learning from Goldstein and Brooks’ newest book. Their evidence-based wealth of information resonated soundly with me—not only to apply to the many children I work with, but also my mature adult clients. Whether a child is 10 years old or in their 60s or 70s, they are never too old to be nurtured in their development of tenacity. As we, as parents, teachers, or counselors will be grateful, as this book shines a light on so many different ways, we the nurturers can nurture.”

Michelle Garcia Winner, MA-CCC

Founder, Social Thinking Methodology

Author, Thinking About You Thinking About Me

“Tenacity in Children has allowed me to look at many of my experiences with children and understand the importance of approaching every challenge with a positive view of what we do well and not just what it is missing. Tenacity in Children is so easy to read and understand how to nurture the seven instincts to support each child's growth and of every person for that matter. Tenacity in Children is the perfect balance between concepts, knowledge, scientific discourse, practical ideas, and heartwarming stories that truly illustrate the principles shared in the book.”

Encarni Gallardo, MBA, CPM

Executive Director, Children's Service Society of Utah

“Written in an easy-to-read, narrative style, Drs. Goldstein and Brooks impart their innovative concept of Tenacity in Children along with its seven essential instincts by using heart-warming stories, personal and professional insights, research, and wisdom. At a time when life challenges are ever present, this book will inspire hope, provide guidance, and emphasize the need for compassion in our quest to raise resilient children and nurture our human spirit.”

Joyce C. Mills, Ph.D.

Founder, StoryPlay® Global

Co-author, Therapeutic Metaphors for Children and the Child Within