With all the media and scrutiny on how to raise smarter kids, it’s no wonder that many parents are feeling well, kind of stupid. When our children are infants, they possess billions of neurons and carry a tremendous potential for learning. As time passes, some of these neurons wither away from disuse. Your assignment as a parent? Keep as many of those neurons firing impulses. The first rule of thumb? Stay connected with your child.

A close, nurturing, one-on-one relationship between parent and child is still the best predictor for success. A supportive, loving presence can make all the difference in a child’s intellectual and social development. Smarter parents understand this—that a child will feel smarter, perform better, and be happier if he or she can trust him or herself and feel safe and supported.  That’s because smarter parents know that how you learn is surprisingly as significant as what you learn.

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