The Dolphin Parent: A Guide to Raising Healthy, Happy, and Self-Motivated Kids

In The Dolphin Parent, Harvard-trained psychiatrist, expert in human motivation, and mother of three Dr. Shimi Kang provides a guide to the art and science of inspiring children to develop their own internal drive and lifelong personal aspirations.

Drawing on the latest neuroscience and behavioral research, Dr. Kang transcends cultural limits and shows why authoritarian “tiger parents” and permissive “jellyfish parents” actually hinder self-motivation. She proposes a powerful new and universal parenting model: the intelligent, strong, joyful, and highly social dolphin. Dolphin parents focus on maintaining balance in their children’s lives to compassionately, yet authoritatively guide them toward the key 21st century skills of “CQ”—creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking.

Combining irrefutable science with unforgettable real-life stories from around the world, The Dolphin Parent walks readers through Dr. Kang’s four-part method for cultivating self-motivation. As the fifth child of immigrant parents who struggled to give their children the “best” in life—Dr. Kang’s mother could not read and she was never enrolled in a single extra-curricular activity—she argues that by trusting our deepest natural intuition about what is best for our kids, we will allow them to develop key traits of adaptability, community-mindedness, and CQ to empower them to thrive in our increasingly competitive and complex world.

Dr. Shimi K. Kang is a Harvard-trained doctor, award-winning researcher, international media expert, and dynamic speaker. She has worked across North America, Europe, and Asia and has helped thousands of children, teens, and adults move towards lives of more passion, purpose, and joy. Dr. Kang is a recognized thought leader on topics of health, motivation, relationships, culture, and 21st century leadership. She has contributed to major global media outlets including NPR, The Huffington Post , TEDx, Psychology Today, Times of India, South China Morning Post, UK Daily Mail, Der Speigel, Yedioth Aharonot, Jyllands-Posten, and Time magazine. She has received six international awards including the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry Research Award. Dr Kang is the current Medical Director of Child and Youth Mental Health for Vancouver, a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia, and a Life Skills 2.0 Global Presence Ambassador. Dr. Kang is most proud of receiving the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her years of outstanding community service and being the mother of three amazing but exhausting children!