Parenting Anxiety

Breaking the Cycle of Worry and Raising Resilient Kids

By: Meredith Elkins PhD

Narrated by: Meredith Elkins PhD

A timely, practical, and innovative look at the relationship between parent and child anxiety, with actionable strategies to help parents break the cycle—from a clinical psychologist with expertise in treating anxiety disorders in children, adolescents, and in parents.

How do you raise resilient kids in this age of uncertainty? And how do you parent your kids if you yourself are anxious?

Parenting is hard, even more so if you struggle with anxiety or have children who do. Seeking guidance means confronting an explosion of content shaped by cultural ideals of how “good” parents should manage anxiety. How do you make sense of this avalanche of advice and support your child’s mental health—or, at the very least, not make things worse?

Much of this content, unfortunately, encourages parents to act in ways that actually increase the risk of child anxiety in the long term. In trying to protect kids from anxiety, loving parents may block the very paths kids must take to build courage and confidence.

Dr. Meredith Elkins, a clinical child psychologist and faculty member at Harvard Medical School, demystifies anxiety and empowers parents to rethink “negative” emotions like fear, sadness, and guilt. A parent herself, Dr. Elkins argues that modern parenting pressures are major contributors to the current state of parent and child anxiety. She urges parents to clarify their values and embrace a “love and limits” approach to anxiety—balancing compassionate support with healthy boundaries while resisting the urge to shield children from every discomfort.

With warmth and understanding, Dr. Elkins provides concrete, evidence-based guidance to help families experiencing normal levels of anxiety, as well as those coping with anxiety disorders. This indispensable resource offers readers a road map for addressing anxiety in children and parents, and promotes adaptability and resilience across all stages of development.

*Includes a downloadable PDF of resources from the book

Critic reviews

“Parenting anxious kids is demanding—and especially so when you’re anxious yourself. But as Dr. Meredith Elkins makes clear, trying to give our children a frictionless life can leave them less prepared to face life’s inevitable challenges, fueling their anxiety—and yours. This smart, compassionate, and evidence-based guide offers a way out of that cycle. It’s a must-read and truly a gift for any parent or caregiver raising children in today’s pressure-filled world.”—Jennifer B. Wallace, author of Never Enough

“Chock-full of evidence-backed tips that will reassure even the most anxious parent, Parenting Anxiety is a warm, empathetic, and essential guide for anyone struggling to understand how to support an anxious kid.”—Rebecca Winthrop, coauthor of The Disengaged Teen

“A premier child anxiety expert and a compassionate, relatable parent, Dr. Elkins brings a rare and powerful blend of expertise to Parenting Anxiety. She offers key strategies that can reduce both parent and child anxiety while facilitating calmer, more joyful parent-child connections. It is both validating and empowering.”—Donna B. Pincus, author of Growing Up Brave

“Parenting Anxiety is a deeply insightful and empowering lifeline for any parent riding the emotional rollercoaster of raising an anxious child while also navigating their own self-doubt, guilt, and fear. Dr. Elkins is a leading anxiety expert, but reading this book feels like sitting down with a wise and trusted friend who truly gets it—someone who can laugh with you, cry with you, and gently guide you through the chaos of raising a healthy child in an increasingly complex and stressful world.”—Jonathan Comer, coauthor of Psychopathology: Science and Practice

“[An] insightful debut . . . Elkins provides accessible tools to reduce anxiety in both children and parents and backs up her clinical experience with current research. The result is a comprehensive road map for managing anxiety that will enlighten and empower.”—Publishers Weekly

“Elkins brings vast experience to this empowering guide. . . . By acknowledging parental anxiety as a substantial but surmountable entity, Elkins provides ample compassion with her expert advice.”— Booklist

Excellent

As a clinical child psychologist, I will be recommending this book to several of my clients’ parents. I love how it summarized exposures and included ACT and SPACE approaches also. As a parent, I found the content to be validating and thorough. Excellent book!

Valuable info and perfect narrator

Not only is this doctor so insightful, delivering life changing information, but I could listen to her narrate anything!!!