What is the best gift parents can give their offspring? According to George S. Everly, Jr., Ph.D., it is raising them with the skills necessary to cope with stress and rebound from adversity. In his new book, The Resilient Child, written with Sloane Brown, Everly discusses seven lessons which all children should be taught. These are: (1) valuing friends, mentors and supportive others; (2) cultivating courage; (3) becoming responsible; (4) taking care of one’s own health; (5) possessing optimism; (6) having faith, and (7) following a moral compass and developing integrity.

This is definitely not a quick fix guide providing techniques to use in stressful situations. Instead, The Resilient Child carefully lays out a plan of livable actions, beliefs and codes that promote a lifetime of resiliency, thus giving kids the ability to handle whatever difficulty that they may encounter and to move on from it.

However, not only youngsters can benefit from this information. The material presented is appropriate for people of all ages. It’s never too late to start living a better, more fulfilling life.

Dr Everly, recognized as one of the “founding fathers” of modern resiliency and stress management, helped countless individuals through some of recent life’s toughest moments. He counseled victims caught in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Katrina, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, and the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and SARS.

Drawing on his vast experience as a mental health advisor and as a caring father, Dr. Everly originally wrote The Resilient Child as a loving gift for his three children. Filled with personal stories, anecdotes and thought- provoking activities, this beautifully written, easy-to-understand book has a message that everyone — young and old and those with or without children — need to hear. It is one none of us can afford to miss.