Surround your child with successful role-models

“During the elementary and secondary years, a child is going through the process of shaping the person he or she will be,” says Dr. Kate Conway-Turner, the chairperson of the Department of Individual and Family Studies at the University of Delaware. “All the foundation is laid there—not just the academic foundation, but the child’s sense of self. That’s why it’s so important for kids to see models of people like themselves who are successful.  It’s very difficult, but not impossible, when you’re trying to figure out who you are and the kinds of things that you aspire to do when you don’t see reflections of yourself.”