<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode of&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Space for Life&lt;/em&gt;, Tommy sits down with parenting expert&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Keith McCurdy&lt;/strong&gt;, founder of&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Live Sturdy&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;and CEO of&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Total Life Counseling&lt;/strong&gt;, to unpack what it really means to raise&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;sturdy kids&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keith shares decades of experience counseling more than 15,000 families, guiding parents toward raising emotionally mature, capable, and resilient children. Together, they explore the role of healthy struggle, practical responsibility, and emotional regulation in child development—and why comfort and happiness shouldn’t be the ultimate goals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This conversation challenges modern parenting norms and provides practical steps for building sturdier families—ones grounded in values, identity, and the kind of leadership that grows capable kids and healthy adults.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key Topics&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why parenting can feel overwhelming and guilt-inducing&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;What “sturdy” really means in child development&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How overprotection creates fragile kids&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why emotions shouldn’t dictate parenting decisions&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The connection between practical skills and emotional maturity&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The value of healthy struggle and discomfort&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Moving children from consumers to contributors&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Establishing family identity and guiding principles&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Leading with sacrifice and consistency in parenting&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Practical steps to begin raising sturdier kids&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;00:00 Introduction to Parenting Challenges&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;02:50 The Importance of Raising Sturdy Kids&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;06:10 Generational Wisdom in Parenting&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;08:51 The Role of Emotions in Parenting&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;11:48 Defining ‘Sturdy’ in Parenting&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;14:50 Practical Skills for Sturdy Kids&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;17:51 The Impact of Struggle on Growth&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;20:43 The Disconnect Between Happiness and Growth&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;24:05 The Process of Maturity Through Trials&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;32:09 The Fragility of Overprotection&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;36:21 The Role of Discomfort in Growth&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;41:31 Establishing Family Identity and Guiding Principles&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;47:03 Transitioning from Enabling to Empowering&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;55:42 Practical Steps for Raising Sturdy Kids&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;Keith McCurdy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;President &amp;amp; CEO, Total Life Counseling&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;Founder,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;Live Sturdy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;Counselor, Speaker, and Parenting Coach&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://livesturdy.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;livesturdy.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! http://tommythompson.org&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Space for Life

Tommy Thompson

The Art of Raising Sturdy Kids with Keith McCurdy

OCT 30, 202564 MIN
Space for Life

The Art of Raising Sturdy Kids with Keith McCurdy

OCT 30, 202564 MIN

Description

<p><br></p><p>In this episode of&nbsp;<em>Space for Life</em>, Tommy sits down with parenting expert&nbsp;<strong>Keith McCurdy</strong>, founder of&nbsp;<strong>Live Sturdy</strong>&nbsp;and CEO of&nbsp;<strong>Total Life Counseling</strong>, to unpack what it really means to raise&nbsp;<em>sturdy kids</em>.</p><p><br></p><p>Keith shares decades of experience counseling more than 15,000 families, guiding parents toward raising emotionally mature, capable, and resilient children. Together, they explore the role of healthy struggle, practical responsibility, and emotional regulation in child development—and why comfort and happiness shouldn’t be the ultimate goals.</p><p><br></p><p>This conversation challenges modern parenting norms and provides practical steps for building sturdier families—ones grounded in values, identity, and the kind of leadership that grows capable kids and healthy adults.</p><p><br></p><h3><strong>Key Topics</strong></h3><ul><li>Why parenting can feel overwhelming and guilt-inducing</li><li>What “sturdy” really means in child development</li><li>How overprotection creates fragile kids</li><li>Why emotions shouldn’t dictate parenting decisions</li><li>The connection between practical skills and emotional maturity</li><li>The value of healthy struggle and discomfort</li><li>Moving children from consumers to contributors</li><li>Establishing family identity and guiding principles</li><li>Leading with sacrifice and consistency in parenting</li><li>Practical steps to begin raising sturdier kids</li></ul><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">00:00 Introduction to Parenting Challenges</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">02:50 The Importance of Raising Sturdy Kids</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">06:10 Generational Wisdom in Parenting</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">08:51 The Role of Emotions in Parenting</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">11:48 Defining ‘Sturdy’ in Parenting</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">14:50 Practical Skills for Sturdy Kids</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">17:51 The Impact of Struggle on Growth</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">20:43 The Disconnect Between Happiness and Growth</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">24:05 The Process of Maturity Through Trials</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">32:09 The Fragility of Overprotection</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">36:21 The Role of Discomfort in Growth</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">41:31 Establishing Family Identity and Guiding Principles</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">47:03 Transitioning from Enabling to Empowering</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">55:42 Practical Steps for Raising Sturdy Kids</span></p><p><br></p><p><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Keith McCurdy</strong></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">President &amp; CEO, Total Life Counseling</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Founder,&nbsp;</span><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Live Sturdy</strong></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Counselor, Speaker, and Parenting Coach</span></p><p><a href="https://livesturdy.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">livesturdy.com</a></p><p><br></p><p>Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! http://tommythompson.org</p>