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Capable: How to Teach Your Kids the Strengths, Skills, and Strategies to Build Resilience
Today's kids face unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and emotional distress. Despite our best efforts, our children continue to struggle with internal and external pressures that impact their mental health. If we're doing all we can to make sure our kids are happy, why aren't they?
Beloved therapists, speakers, and authors Sissy Goff and David Thomas have discovered the key is found in one capable. Capable kids are confident kids who don't shrink from challenges. They're resilient kids who get back up when life knocks them down. They're thriving kids because they have a deep belief in their ability to do hard things, overcome roadblocks, and keep moving forward.
In Capable, Sissy and David draw on their more than fifty years of combined counseling experience to offer a clinically sound, emotionally attuned, faith-informed approach to help kids build the resilience they need in today's world. Through evidence-based insight and practical guidance, Sissy and David equip you to nurture capability--the internalized belief that a child can face adversity, navigate challenges, manage stress, and build confidence in who they are and who God has made them to be.
Beloved therapists, speakers, and authors Sissy Goff and David Thomas have discovered the key is found in one capable. Capable kids are confident kids who don't shrink from challenges. They're resilient kids who get back up when life knocks them down. They're thriving kids because they have a deep belief in their ability to do hard things, overcome roadblocks, and keep moving forward.
In Capable, Sissy and David draw on their more than fifty years of combined counseling experience to offer a clinically sound, emotionally attuned, faith-informed approach to help kids build the resilience they need in today's world. Through evidence-based insight and practical guidance, Sissy and David equip you to nurture capability--the internalized belief that a child can face adversity, navigate challenges, manage stress, and build confidence in who they are and who God has made them to be.
296 pages, Hardcover
Published April 21, 2026
About the author
Sissy Goff
28 books231 followersSISSY GOFF, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP spends most of her days talking with girls and their families, with the help of her counseling assistant/pet therapist, Lucy the Havanese. She has worked as the Director of Child and Adolescent Counseling at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, Tennessee since 1993, with a Master’s degree from Vanderbilt University. Sissy speaks to parents across the country and is the author of eleven books including Raising Girls. and her newest books, Raising Worry-Free Girls and Braver, Stronger Smarter (for elementary school girls) which will be released in September of 2019.
Sissy is a regular contributor to various podcasts and publications, including their own soon-to-be released podcast called Raising Boys and Girls. You can find more information and resources at www.raisingboysandgirls.com.
Sissy is a regular contributor to various podcasts and publications, including their own soon-to-be released podcast called Raising Boys and Girls. You can find more information and resources at www.raisingboysandgirls.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
May 26, 2026
I love following Sissy Goff on Instagram and always find her to be so wise and thoughtful. I really enjoyed this book! I loved that both authors narrate and did so very conversationally. I also really appreciate the way they acknowledge the differences of boys and girls and the ways each may need a different approach. I mostly loved their balance in talking about the need for empathy and acknowledgement of feelings with the littles we love, matched with the boundaries, appropriate consequences and challenges that they need to help them grow into the best versions of themselves. Really engaging, thought-provoking, and practical!
May 20, 2026
Read this primarily for work, secondarily for my own parenting. Highly, highly recommend.
I found this book to be incredibly relevant to my work as a pediatric mental health therapist and described about 90% of the presenting concerns parents identify when they bring their kids to see me. To sum it up: low frustration tolerance that is impacting school/homework/social relationships/extra curriculars/home life etc. I agree with the authors’ assessment that parents have (thankfully!) grown much in emotional attunement with their kids, but are mostly stopping there. We can name emotions and empathize but don’t also help kids with what to do next. The emphasis is on emotions without learning the skills to navigate them. Often, rescuing kids from discomfort or distress instead of helping them develop the skills needed to tolerate the distress.
Their work is research filled and rich with practical ways to help kids develop sturdiness and resilience (which includes emotional intelligence!).
The counselors who wrote this book are Christians and they talk about their faith occasionally as is relatable to the content. This is helpful for recommending to Christian parents who are wary of reading counseling related books (🙃), but the way it is incorporated would not prevent me from recommending to clients who ascribe to a different faith or are not religious at all.
I found this book to be incredibly relevant to my work as a pediatric mental health therapist and described about 90% of the presenting concerns parents identify when they bring their kids to see me. To sum it up: low frustration tolerance that is impacting school/homework/social relationships/extra curriculars/home life etc. I agree with the authors’ assessment that parents have (thankfully!) grown much in emotional attunement with their kids, but are mostly stopping there. We can name emotions and empathize but don’t also help kids with what to do next. The emphasis is on emotions without learning the skills to navigate them. Often, rescuing kids from discomfort or distress instead of helping them develop the skills needed to tolerate the distress.
Their work is research filled and rich with practical ways to help kids develop sturdiness and resilience (which includes emotional intelligence!).
The counselors who wrote this book are Christians and they talk about their faith occasionally as is relatable to the content. This is helpful for recommending to Christian parents who are wary of reading counseling related books (🙃), but the way it is incorporated would not prevent me from recommending to clients who ascribe to a different faith or are not religious at all.
June 7, 2026
Packed with great tips & wisdom. Will be referencing this one for years to come!!!
May 31, 2026
The best parenting book I have read in awhile- felt like a timely listen. Took a lot of notes- if I had a physical copy I imagine it would be well highlighted! Looking forward to doing the workbook with my children.
April 16, 2026
Thank you NetGalley & RB Media for providing me an audiobook arc in exchange for my thoughts and opinions.
Since this is a faith based book, I’d like to disclose upfront I had a faith based upbringing but I am no longer a religious person. I am however a parent that walks in the world around many different faiths and beliefs. I like to read parenting books across these various backgrounds to get a reference of how other parents are approaching child rearing.
Capable focuses on how to create confident and resilient children through faith centered teachings. Honestly I went into this book very apprehensive but I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of good references integrated throughout the ideologies presented. Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt and Good Inside by Dr. Becky being two references that stood out to me. I believe Sissy Goth and David Thomas to be well read and researched, they have extensive experience counseling kids and families and I was encouraged they have clearly read what I find to be important texts in modern parenting.
Capable Parenting is a rebranding of the Authoritative Parenting style as discussed in the book. While I appreciate the concept of giving it a different name, generally I find myself disagreeing with the amount of parental authority and control that is required to raise resilient children that believe in themselves and take risks. I also firmly disagree with the assignment of gender roles in handling boys vs girls and father daughter relationships vs mother son relationships. I completely understand these arguments from a framework of faith. One thing I learned in my days as an evangelical, gender norms and constructs are generally used to uphold power dynamics and create a degree of rigidity in social environments that make everyone feel more “comfortable.” Like playing into expected roles will provide understanding on who you can be.
Disagreements aside, I can understand my feelings are based off my own experiences, and do not automatically make this a bad book. There are useful tools here, and I would have probably been in a much better position in my own childhood if my parents had consulted a book such as this. I do believe Sissy Goth and David Thomas to be individuals who care about children and parents achieving harmony in their lives.
Since this is a faith based book, I’d like to disclose upfront I had a faith based upbringing but I am no longer a religious person. I am however a parent that walks in the world around many different faiths and beliefs. I like to read parenting books across these various backgrounds to get a reference of how other parents are approaching child rearing.
Capable focuses on how to create confident and resilient children through faith centered teachings. Honestly I went into this book very apprehensive but I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of good references integrated throughout the ideologies presented. Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt and Good Inside by Dr. Becky being two references that stood out to me. I believe Sissy Goth and David Thomas to be well read and researched, they have extensive experience counseling kids and families and I was encouraged they have clearly read what I find to be important texts in modern parenting.
Capable Parenting is a rebranding of the Authoritative Parenting style as discussed in the book. While I appreciate the concept of giving it a different name, generally I find myself disagreeing with the amount of parental authority and control that is required to raise resilient children that believe in themselves and take risks. I also firmly disagree with the assignment of gender roles in handling boys vs girls and father daughter relationships vs mother son relationships. I completely understand these arguments from a framework of faith. One thing I learned in my days as an evangelical, gender norms and constructs are generally used to uphold power dynamics and create a degree of rigidity in social environments that make everyone feel more “comfortable.” Like playing into expected roles will provide understanding on who you can be.
Disagreements aside, I can understand my feelings are based off my own experiences, and do not automatically make this a bad book. There are useful tools here, and I would have probably been in a much better position in my own childhood if my parents had consulted a book such as this. I do believe Sissy Goth and David Thomas to be individuals who care about children and parents achieving harmony in their lives.
June 17, 2026
Definitely the best parenting book I’ve read. Such important principles here and great stories, well told and inspiring. With good practical takeaways and ideas for application, but also getting at the heart of it very well.
May 17, 2026
Two therapists talk about how kids are becoming more anxious and depressed because their parents are denying them the chance to fail. Lots of great suggestions for how to help kids develop strength and capability.
June 9, 2026
This entire book felt like I was sitting at a table with Sissy and David soaking in some practical and helpful parenting wisdom. They did an excellent job of challenging, encouraging and giving practical advice for all ages and stages of parenting. 5⭐️ all day!
June 10, 2026
Truly a great parenting book! While there were plenty of things that I had heard elsewhere, the overall tone and message was worthwhile and included a good number of new techniques/advice, along with a healthy dose of reminders. Definitely a worthwhile read for parents who want to be capable and teach their kids how to be capable, as well.
May 19, 2026
This was SO good. Encouraging and challenging and practical. I’m going to need a physical copy of the book to use as a resource regularly! Ready to go raise capable, confident kids!
May 12, 2026
I had no idea this was written from a religious perspective before picking it up. I disliked the bible verses included within. There was also a major lack of real world “do this” type of help. Most of it is theoretical or extremely specific stories of things that happened to their children therapy clients.
For example, “failing forward” was mentioned many times and I was looking forward to learning how to do that. When I finally got to the failing forward section it just defined what it was, a quote from “How to teach kids not to quit” (a different book), but gave absolutely no examples of how to apply this in real life.
Also, the managing emotion section focuses primarily on anger, and talked about yelling or acting out in other ways. Not once did I see a mention of sadness or anxiety. There are more emotions than anger that children experience!!
For example, “failing forward” was mentioned many times and I was looking forward to learning how to do that. When I finally got to the failing forward section it just defined what it was, a quote from “How to teach kids not to quit” (a different book), but gave absolutely no examples of how to apply this in real life.
Also, the managing emotion section focuses primarily on anger, and talked about yelling or acting out in other ways. Not once did I see a mention of sadness or anxiety. There are more emotions than anger that children experience!!
June 20, 2026
I had high hopes for this book - a follow up to Anxious Generation from a Christian perspective. But it disappointed me. The book’s organization was hard to follow, the writing style felt unprofessional, and the content felt so…annoying? I’m still struggling to articulate why I disliked it so much. I think their advice and tips were more suited for a 60 minute counseling session, not for day in, day out, 24/7 parenting. Everything helpful they said was said better in Anxious Generation.
May 27, 2026
I’m gonna need Sissy Goff and David Thomas to hold my hands until all of my kids reach adulthood.
I pretty much hate all parenting books besides theirs 😂
Their books are so practical, easy to read, and are a perfect balance of science and godly.
This book was especially helpful for me as I parent older kids that are cultivating autonomy and independence (still a great read for all ages though —I wish this existed years ago!)
I think they do a really great job at addressing current / post covid parenting trends and calling us parents out on our nonsense (in the most loving way), and then practically pointing us in the right direction.
10/10 recommend
I pretty much hate all parenting books besides theirs 😂
Their books are so practical, easy to read, and are a perfect balance of science and godly.
This book was especially helpful for me as I parent older kids that are cultivating autonomy and independence (still a great read for all ages though —I wish this existed years ago!)
I think they do a really great job at addressing current / post covid parenting trends and calling us parents out on our nonsense (in the most loving way), and then practically pointing us in the right direction.
10/10 recommend
May 6, 2026
a must read!
May 15, 2026
I was able to access the advanced audiobook through Netgalley.
I was eager to listen to this book as I have previously read many of the works of both David Thomas and Sissy Goff and have continually found their writing to be immensely valuable. This book didn’t disappoint, even despite going in with high expectations. They maintained their tender, counseling voices while filling me with a treasure trove of insights, practical advice, and things to ponder and pack away for later. I plan to read the physical copy in the future and will likely be highlighting and annotating quite a bit. Highly recommend!
I was eager to listen to this book as I have previously read many of the works of both David Thomas and Sissy Goff and have continually found their writing to be immensely valuable. This book didn’t disappoint, even despite going in with high expectations. They maintained their tender, counseling voices while filling me with a treasure trove of insights, practical advice, and things to ponder and pack away for later. I plan to read the physical copy in the future and will likely be highlighting and annotating quite a bit. Highly recommend!
May 18, 2026
Absolutely incredible book. I love that Sissy and David are both experts in their field AND remain based in Biblical truths. This will be an annual re read for me as my kids get older. I’ve shared it with all my friends and family! Must read if you have kids in your life! Thank you Net Galley for the early access for my honest review. I’d give this ten stars if I could!
May 29, 2026
This book is both really thought provoking and also really overwhelming. But I appreciate that, over and over, there is an emphasis of being a capable parent. I’ve got some great takeaways, some needed pats-on-the-back for parenting choices of the past, and some resources to look into for the future. I listened to the audio, but I think I like a hard copy for books like this, so i can reference again.
June 13, 2026
Having read The Anxious Generation and The Self-Driven Child, there are a lot of similar messages here which were great reminders. I still fight the worry that I have of all the evil in this world that my girls could face but this helps me feel better prepared to help them be prepared. Our kids are capable and this book will definitely make you think.
Content Notes: None to note
Content Notes: None to note
May 20, 2026
***Audiobook (want a hard copy to look over some of the ideas/question prompts though); also plan to take a look at the accompanying workbook
A straightforward but important message: modern parents are protecting their kids from discomfort so much so that they are missing opportunities to develop resilience, competence, emotional strength, and independence. Authors argue that what kids need most is not constant happiness or confidence boosts, but the chance to become genuinely capable. I loved and agree with the primary message. I appreciated how down-to-earth the authors are and the abundance of ideas they gave for promoting capability and thinking/talking about these concepts within ourselves and our kids.
Topic: parenthood; raising capable and resilient kids
👀 Audience: modern parents of kids, toddler - adolescent; they infuse Christianity and scripture into their message/advice
🕰️ Best reading context: reflective, can focus on points or highlight takeaways
📈 Mood & pace: Fast paced; complex; bittersweet
A straightforward but important message: modern parents are protecting their kids from discomfort so much so that they are missing opportunities to develop resilience, competence, emotional strength, and independence. Authors argue that what kids need most is not constant happiness or confidence boosts, but the chance to become genuinely capable. I loved and agree with the primary message. I appreciated how down-to-earth the authors are and the abundance of ideas they gave for promoting capability and thinking/talking about these concepts within ourselves and our kids.
Topic: parenthood; raising capable and resilient kids
👀 Audience: modern parents of kids, toddler - adolescent; they infuse Christianity and scripture into their message/advice
🕰️ Best reading context: reflective, can focus on points or highlight takeaways
📈 Mood & pace: Fast paced; complex; bittersweet
June 14, 2026
So so good!! I highly recommend this book for parents, teachers, and anyone who works with children of any age. It is scientifically sound, insightful, while also encouraging and affirming.
May 2, 2026
One of THE BEST books on raising children I have ever read. I will definitely have to read this many times at different points of raising my kiddos.
May 24, 2026
Good info.
May 8, 2026
Whenever the Dayspring folks put out a book, it happens to be “just the right time” for our family to glean advice.
June 8, 2026
2.5/5; rounding up to 3
I came across this book when reading about The Anxious Generation and decided to give it a shot. I went in blind and had not a single clue that it was so heavily based in Christianity (the blurb doesn’t mention God until the very last line).
I found there to be some good nuggets of information about encouraging kids to be independent, emotionally intelligent, and confident in their own abilities. But overwhelmingly, I kept finding myself disappointed by how starkly gender roles were reinforced alllllll throughout the book. Specific advice for boys and girls is understandable, but furthering it by giving specific advice for fathers/daughter, mothers/sons, etc. just felt patriarchal - which I did not like one bit.
I came across this book when reading about The Anxious Generation and decided to give it a shot. I went in blind and had not a single clue that it was so heavily based in Christianity (the blurb doesn’t mention God until the very last line).
I found there to be some good nuggets of information about encouraging kids to be independent, emotionally intelligent, and confident in their own abilities. But overwhelmingly, I kept finding myself disappointed by how starkly gender roles were reinforced alllllll throughout the book. Specific advice for boys and girls is understandable, but furthering it by giving specific advice for fathers/daughter, mothers/sons, etc. just felt patriarchal - which I did not like one bit.
June 11, 2026
I'm going to be recommending this book to everyone I know! It has so much excellent advice about how to raise kids who are capable, confident, and conscientious. Dave and I can't stop talking about how we can integrate more of these ideas and principles into our home.
June 12, 2026
Sissy and David are so wise and thoughtful. I finished each chapter feeling hopeful, never overwhelmed. Even though each chapter left me with several things I hoped to implement with my own children. I very very highly recommend this book to any and all parents.
June 12, 2026
Great! A lot of new ideas and insight I haven’t heard before. Love the stories that go along with it too.
May 26, 2026
They keep getting better and better! David and Sissy knocked it out of the park with this book. So many application and practical ways to help our kids be more capable! Loved it!
June 10, 2026
So practically helpful and encouraging. It's hard not to love Sissy and David but this one is special. We all have the strength to be capable parents and raise capable kids. Let's give the little ones we love our best.
June 12, 2026
Can’t recommend this book enough! I listened to it on audiobook and want to go back and get a hard copy to go back and highlight! Love David and Sissy and so grateful for their wisdom!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews