Speaker, author and educator Michelle Icard discusses her book Eight Setbacks That Can Make a Child a Success with Chicago-based writer Heidi Stevens.

Open Seating – No pre-registration required

Every child messes up, sometimes in ways that seem sure to wreck their futures: a bad report card, poor sportsmanship, and underaged drinking. These are tough moments for parent and child alike, often complicated by the fear that the misstep is also an indictment of our parenting. But what each of these “fails” has in common for our kids is the precious silver lining of a chance for character building and developing more grit—if we help them process their mistakes well.

An invaluable playbook for anxious parents everywhere, Eight Setbacks That Can Make a Child a Success by parenting expert Michelle Icard (FAN ’22), offers specific and unexpected advice about what to say, what not to say, and what to do to help children in eight categories of tense situations. Distilled from Icard’s decades of experience working with tweens, teenagers, and families, she underscores that there is always a chance for a child to gain new and stronger decision-making skills, and for the parent-child relationship to strengthen.

Icard is the author of Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen (2021) and Middle School Makeover (2014). She has a degree in education and has worked with parents, children, and teachers for more than 20 years. A writer for the Today show parenting team, NBC News Learn, CNN Science and Wellness, and the Washington Post, Icard’s work has also been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Redbook, Time, and People.

Icard will be in conversation with Heidi Stevens, Director of External Affairs for the University of Chicago’s TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health. Prior to joining TMW, Stevens worked at the Chicago Tribune for 23 years, where she wrote a daily column called “Balancing Act.” She maintains a weekly nationally syndicated column. Stevens also serves as a FAN board member.

This event is suitable for youth 12+. It will be recorded but not live-streamed and will be available on FAN’s website and YouTube channel.

Adolescence | Advice | Anxiety | Behavior | Character | Connection | Empathy | Family | Love | Mental Health | Motivation | Parenting | Relationships | Well Being | Youth

BONUS BOOK GIVEAWAY of Eight Setbacks at the event, while supplies last. Book sale and signing, too. Presented by The Book Stall Winnetka.

Open Seating – No pre-registration required