The steep increase in mental health challenges among young children is one of today’s most widely discussed issues. But why is so little attention paid to the role of family dynamics in creating or reducing stress for kids?

This week, Ian and Naomi are joined by Dr. Nicholas Zill, research psychologist and senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, to discuss his most recent report, “Families Matter to Kids’ Mental Health.” In the report, Dr. Zill analyzes data from the National Survey on Children’s Health to demonstrate how family structure affects not only the likelihood children will need mental health services, but also whether they will receive them. He points out a number of striking findings, including how foster children are the group most likely to be using medication to treat mental health problems. Dr. Zill emphasizes how understanding a child’s family structure is vital to treating their mental health, and how other methods of combatting mental illness beyond medication should be employed as well.

Resources

-Families Matter to Kids’ Mental Health | Nicholas Zill

-Why Foster Kids Aren’t Getting the Mental Health Care They Need | Naomi Schaefer Riley

Show Notes

-00:44 | Why does family structure get missed in the conversation about kids’ mental health?

-08:25 | Why does the gap between the need and receipt of mental health services come from? How can we close that gap?

-11:48 | How do we share this data without seeming like we are blaming families for their impact on a child’s mental health?

-13:08 | How do we make sure we are talking about the youth mental health crisis in an accurate, right-sized way?

-16:46 | Do younger generations having different attitudes toward marriage and forming families?

-18:29 | What is the good news on this issue?

-21:23 | How can we encourage reporting of data on family structure?

Conventional wisdom suggests that developing a child’s intellect is the job of schools, but parents spend far more time with their kids than teachers do. There is a lot that parents can and should do on this front.

This week, Naomi is joined by Eva Moskowitz, founder and CEO of Success Academy Charter Schools in New York City, and author of the recent book, A+ Parenting: The Surprisingly Fun Guide to Raising Surprisingly Smart Kids. Eva discusses how many parents feel an obligation to come down to their child’s level when it comes to speech or play, but in fact, their child may benefit more from being included in the complex or stimulating discussions and activities that parents are already enjoying. From movies, to games, to music played in the car, Eva has curated a list of materials and activities that are both age-appropriate and intellectually challenging for kids. What is important, Eva argues, is for parents to enjoy time with their kids, as this creates greater satisfaction for children, too.

Resources

-A+ Parenting: The Surprisingly Fun Guide to Raising Surprisingly Smart Kids | Eva Moskowitz

-Teach Your Children Well | Naomi Schaefer Riley

Show Notes

-00:55 | What inspired you to write this book?

-03:27 | How should parents work to develop their child’s intellect differently than schools?

-06:16 | How does this guidance translate across class divides? Are you hoping to bridge the gap between parents who are familiar with these cultural staples and those who aren’t?

-09:57 | Why does the specific book a child reads matter beyond just the fact that they are reading at all?

-11:59 | Can you give an example of the type of movie that is worthwhile for kids to watch, and why?

-15:46 | How do you know when these activities are appropriate, or if too much is going over the child’s head?

-18:08 | What are your thoughts on the impact of cellphones and social media on children’s intellectual development?

-21:08 | How can we engage in parenting in a way that helps us find more of the joy in the process?

Why do some members of the “elite class”—those who are educated, wealthy, and largely raised in stable, two-parent homes—publicly advocate for harmful beliefs while not subscribing to them in their private lives?

This week marks Are You Kidding Me?’s 100th episode! For this special episode, Naomi and Ian are joined by Rob Henderson, psychologist and author of the recent book Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class. Having experienced an unstable childhood in the foster care system before then enlisting in the military and going on to complete a PhD in psychology, Rob observed a phenomenon among American elites he eventually coined as “luxury beliefs.” Luxury beliefs are held ideas that confer status to the wealthy while inflicting harm on the poor and working class. Rob discusses where he believes this phenomenon originated, the practical impact it has for low-income communities, and how he tries to reverse the trend through sharing data and encouraging people to think more deeply about the ideas they are espousing.

Resources

1. Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class | Rob Henderson
2. Luxury Beliefs That Only the Privileged Can Afford | Rob Henderson
3. Troubled: A Book Event with Rob Henderson | Naomi Schaefer Riley, Sally Satel, Rob Henderson

Show Notes

01:05 | Can you talk about your background with the foster care system, and what the biggest influence in your early years was on your thinking later in life?

02:59 | What was the pivot for you that allowed you to find success and eventually write your book?

09:56 | Why are members of the “elite class” so predisposed to express certain beliefs in public but not hold to them in their private lives?

15:04 | How does the act of holding luxury beliefs by the elite class impact members of the working class?

18:45 | Can you talk about the luxury belief dynamic as it plays out with drug use, and how is that dynamic playing out in families?

23:52 | Are you finding that some of the ideas you express in your book are being made by others into their own kinds of luxury beliefs?

26:57 | How do we confront luxury beliefs in such a way that we can reverse the impact they are having on low income communities?

The “Success Sequence” refers to a series of steps—graduating high school, working full-time, and marrying before having children—that are shown to dramatically decrease one’s likelihood of living in poverty. But what happens if, for a variety of reasons, these steps are completed out of order?

In this episode, Naomi and Ian are joined by Angela Rachidi, a senior fellow at AEI focusing on poverty and the effects of federal safety-net programs on low-income individuals and families. Angela discusses her recent report, which examines how completing certain “success sequence” steps (namely, graduating high school, finding full-time work, and getting married) can impact poverty rates for unmarried mothers. Angela explains the immense economic burden and reduced odds of escaping poverty faced by those who have children before marriage or completing their education, especially when the mother is not working toward those critical life milestones. However, her findings indicate that for these young parents, education and marriage in particular have an immensely positive impact, even if these milestones are achieved after having a child. Naomi, Ian, and Angela conclude by discussing how policymakers and community leaders can better encourage and reinforce the value of the completing the steps of the “success sequence” among American youth and adults, even when life does not go exactly as planned.

Resources

-Dynamics of Families After a Nonmarital Birth | Angela Rachidi

-The Success Sequence for Unmarried Mothers | Angela Rachidi

Show Notes

-0:00:44 | Why did you decide to study this particular population?

-0:03:12 | Can you talk about the “Fragile Families” dataset that you used for this report?

-0:05:08 | What were your findings for these women?

-0:12:34 | Can you isolate marriage in correlation with reducing poverty?

-0:14:29 | Can you talk about the role of multi-partner fertility?

-0:16:48 | How should we share this information with young women in these situations?

0:18:53 | What role do you think personal faith commitment plays into all of this?

Why are Americans having fewer children? And why do younger Americans seem resistant to the idea of having children at all?

In this episode, Naomi and Ian are joined by Tim Carney, a senior fellow at AEI focusing on family, religion, and civil society in America. Tim discusses his upcoming book, “Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder than It Needs to Be.” Tim unpacks all the ways parenting has become harder--from the expectation that parents must provide children with every extracurricular opportunity, to the collapse of marriage and the lack of neighborhoods where kids can walk places. He also argues for a return to the idea that children are inherently valuable—not just vehicles for accomplishments. To conclude, Tim makes recommendations for how coaches, local legislators, educators, and parents can encourage younger people to prioritize getting married and starting a family as they are building their lives.

Resources

Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be | Tim Carney

Civilizational Sadness: We Are Becoming Sad and Afraid, and So We Are Making Fewer Babies | Tim Carney

Show Notes

- 0:00:45 | What prompted you to write the book?

- 0:04:21 | Are there any ways we can make culture more family-friendly through public policy?

- 0:06:56 | What makes you different that allows you to see the problems here? What can we do to cultivate more individuals who value family and children?

- 0:09:35 | Do you need an underlying religious belief in order to see family differently?

- 0:13:52 | How is all of this affecting the trend of young people who are delaying marriage?

- 0:23:00 | How can we use research like Raj Chetty’s around upward mobility to strengthen the case for families?

New York City public schools have long struggled with abysmally low literacy rates among their students. Will adopting a more evidence-based reading curriculum be enough to create improvement?

This week, Naomi and Ian are joined by Robert Pondiscio, Senior Fellow at AEI and scholar of K-12 education, to discuss the science of reading. A former 5th grade teacher himself, Robert recounts his experience with the whole language curriculum in New York City schools, memorably dubbed “vibes-based” literacy by the New York. It centers a student’s interest in reading over the building blocks of literacy themselves. Robert discusses a recent announcement that New York schools would be switching to one of three new scientifically-backed reading programs, explaining both the hope and potential challenges that come with adopting the new framework.

Resources

- Getting Reading Right | Robert Pondiscio

- What Do Parents Need to Know About the Science of Reading? | Robert Pondiscio

Show Notes

0:01:00 | What is the science of reading and why should we be glad education leaders are embracing it?

0:04:03 | What have teachers been taught about literacy in the past, and what is the truth being rediscovered now?

0:08:57 | How difficult will it be to re-train teachers on these new curricula?

0:11:30 | How can we help teachers understand that knowledge-building must be a part of teaching reading?

0:16:21 | Can anything be done for students who have already missed the early years of proper literacy teaching?

0:19:37 | How long will it take to start seeing improvement in test scores and performance?

0:28:59 | Do you have hopes for the introduction of AI into teaching and education?

How can we ensure young Americans understand civics? Our K-12 schools have seen a significant loss in the both the quality and quantity of history and civics requirements. Is there any way reverse this trend?

In this episode, Naomi and Ian are joined by Chris Sinacola, director of communications and media relations at Pioneer Institute and co-editor of Restoring the City on a Hill: U.S. History & Civics in America’s Schools. Chris discusses his new book and outlines what is behind the steady decline of history and civics education, what testing standards and results indicate about the quality of civics education in schools, the importance of connecting students with the roots of the American nation, and what it will take to preserve American tradition and history. Chris also mentions that although some of the data looks bleak, there are upward trends and ways that parents have been mobilizing to protect and improve their children’s education.

Resources

• Restoring the City on a Hill: U.S. History & Civics in America’s Schools | Chris Sinacola, Jamie Gass
• “I’m Afraid of the Kids We’re Leaving Our Country.” A Conversation with Civics Educator Jack Miller | Naomi Schaefer Riley

Show Notes

• 0:46 | What inspired the title, Restoring the City on a Hill?
• 3:08 | Where are we getting civics education right?
• 6:26 | How much do our students really know, and what motivated the need to study this issue?
• 10:35 | When did the decline in teaching U.S. history really start?
• 14:57 | How can primary documents become more of the focal point in class?
• 17:04 | How has reception of the book been, and what is the action plan?
• 20:17 | What role do states play in determining civics curriculum and what benchmarks students should meet?

(Note to listener: This episode contains mention of child abuse and child fatalities.)

When children who are already on the radar of their child protection agency die from abuse, it is essential to ask whether and how this death could have been avoided. In particular, could the agency have prevented the death by doing something differently?

In this episode, Naomi and Ian are joined by Marie Cohen, a child welfare policy analyst, researcher, and former Washington, DC social worker. Marie authors a blog, Child Welfare Monitor, where she recently released a report analyzing the deaths of 16 children in Washington, DC in which the death was the result of child abuse, or in which child abuse could not be ruled out as a cause of death. Marie discusses her observations from working within DC’s Child and Family Services Agency and participating in a Child Fatality Review Panel in the district, noting the ways social workers were trained to focus on strengths in the families they were working with and the agency’s attempts to prevent a “savior” mentality. She also shares her experience trying to obtain data on these fatalities from the Child and Family Services Agency, noting that the lack of transparency and available data makes it difficult to determine how these deaths could be prevented in the future.

Resources:

• We Are Not Here to Save Children: Abuse and Neglect Deaths after Contact with Child Welfare Services in the District of Columbia, 2019-2021 | Marie Cohen
• Putting the Kids First: A Child Welfare System That Works | Naomi Schaefer Riley

Show Notes:

• 1:07 | How did Child Welfare Monitor originate, and what work are you doing with DC in particular?
• 3:50 | What was involved in your work with the DC Child Fatality Review panel?
• 7:09 | What were your top-line findings when investigated the stories of the 16 children who died in DC?
• 8:48 | How do such blatant deaths of children occur after the child protection system is already involved?
• 13:27 | What should states be doing to be more transparent?
• 15:24 | What would the response of the DC child welfare leadership be if they read this report?
• 19:08 | What are your recommendations for greater transparency from child welfare agencies and ways to help prevents deaths like these in the future?