The Intervention Dilemma

Your teenager is stuck on a hard assignment, and your hands itch to take over. Or they're making a choice you know will disappoint them. Every parenting instinct screams intervene.

So what exactly are you protecting when you hold back? Self-efficacy — your child's belief in their own ability to handle hard things. It is not the same as self-esteem. Self-esteem is feeling good about yourself; self-efficacy is the earned conviction that I can figure this out.