Parents are understandably dubious when they hear of people claiming to have secret knowledge of how to raise children into successful adults. After all, parenting is a nuanced, decades-long task involving many complex variables. There is no magic formula or ‘how-to’ guide for doing it correctly.
But there are interesting insights into the common characteristics of high-achieving children, giving parents ideas on how to create their own ‘super families’, as they’re sometimes called. One source giving voice to these insights is Michael Amin, the founder and CEO of Maximum Difference Foundation (MDF) and the Founder and CEO of Primex World Inc. MDF is an organization dedicated to, among many other causes, advocating for parents to learn the art and science of parenting by reading books, watching videos, going to seminars and, if needed, talking to a therapist.
“Parenting is about creating an environment where children can learn, grow, and develop the skills they need to navigate their way through the world confidently, as well as be happy and resilient. These are all traits needed to be successful,” he says. “The key is figuring out ways to facilitate such an environment.”
At MDF, Michael Amin and his team measure their work by what he calls “units of positive change.” The idea is to create as much positive change as possible in the world while using as few resources as possible to do so. For example, just like businesses use the concept of return on investment (ROI), for non-profits, it’s about the return on investment for time and money to yield the maximum units of positive change. This idealistic/pragmatic worldview is inspired by Amin’s own success in the private sector, and his overarching goal is manifested in the foundation’s name – to make the maximum difference through focused, results-driven strategies.
Amin determined early on that encouraging parents to take the time to learn the best practices for raising kids would be one of the most effective ways to achieve this goal.
“Over the years, through my role with Maximum Difference Foundation, I believe I’ve found some commonalities in households who raise happy and successful children through experience and research,” he explains.
One trait that has been found in many ‘super families’ is the influence of parents who have had some sort of teaching experience. These parents often understand the importance of early learning, how to teach, and the lasting impact it can have on a child’s development better than most. As a result, many of them work hard to create a home environment where learning is fun and natural.
“One of the primary roles of a parent is to help children feel supported during the critical early stage of their learning journey,” says Amin. “By encouraging curiosity and exploration, parent-teachers are professionally trained and ideally suited to set the foundation for lifelong learning.”
These parents often take an active role in teaching their children outside of school, whether it’s through extra reading, doing educational activities together, or engaging in conversations that serve to expand their knowledge. Such early, consistent involvement can help children become confident, independent thinkers who are more prepared to succeed in life.
In many high-achieving families, political awareness and activism also play significant roles in shaping children’s lives. Parents who are involved in social causes often encourage their children to become active participants in making a difference in the world – a cause near and dear to Michael Amin’s heart.
“When children grow up in an environment where standing up for what’s right is highly valued, they learn that they too can contribute to creating positive change,” he says. These kinds of families tend to teach their children that they have the power to influence the world around them, whether it’s through activism or other forms of social engagement. As such, political awareness often becomes a core part of their upbringing, instilling within them a sense of responsibility and a drive to fight for fairness and justice. “Quite often, this can translate into personal traits such as resilience and a ‘can-do’ attitude into the teenage years, young adulthood, and well beyond,” asserts Amin.
“It’s important to note that while high-achieving parents often have the best intentions, sometimes their relentless pursuit of excellence can inadvertently place overwhelming pressure on their children. This excessive push can transform the concept of success into a source of constant distress rather than a joyful journey of growth and achievement.”
Finding the right balance between raising happy children and preparing them for success is one of the biggest challenges parents face. Michael Amin believes that while happiness should come first, success naturally follows when children grow up in an environment that encourages resilience, progress, and accomplishment. Prioritizing children’s happiness over success doesn’t mean giving them everything they want or making life easy. In fact, true happiness comes from overcoming challenges, learning new skills, and feeling a sense of purpose.
Studies support this idea. Research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that children who experience warmth and support from their parents tend to be happier, while constant conflict can harm their well-being. Another study from Penn State Health emphasizes that kids who are taught to embrace challenges and learn from failure develop stronger emotional resilience and long-term satisfaction.
Amin stresses that the goal isn’t to shield children from difficulties but to help them develop the mindset and skills needed to navigate life’s obstacles. By encouraging effort, curiosity, problem-solving, and perseverance, parents can create an environment where happiness and success go hand in hand, allowing children to thrive both emotionally and in their future achievements.
Amin says, “Happier children grow into more self-assured adults who are better equipped to function in society and make positive contributions. Developing happy children who transition into happy adults is more important than developing successful adults.”This philosophy is central to MDF’s work, which aims to optimize its impact by applying a results-driven, return-on-investment approach to philanthropy. “For every dollar we invest, we try to calculate how many units of positive change we’re creating,” explains Amin. “Say we start with a $5 million budget, for example. Using that, MDF can reach something like 50 million people. And even if only 10% of those people are inspired to take action on improving their parenting, that’s still a giant return on investment in terms of units of positive change.”
While MDF does not provide direct education or parenting classes, Michael Amin stresses the importance of inspiring parents to take the initiative in learning about how to be better parents themselves and then practicing what they have learned. His goal is to help parents understand that they have the ability to shape the future of their children—and, by extension, the world—by creating environments where kids can thrive.
Parenting is just one of many important causes that the Maximum Difference Foundation supports. The foundation works hand-in-hand with several other well-known charities, including Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Human Rights Watch, all in the name of creating positive change. But parenting is arguably one of its top priorities.
“If anyone out there wants to learn more about the subject and is looking for a good place to start, I very much recommend a Time Magazine article from 2016, which outlines the six factors common to Super Families,” says Amin. “The adults of tomorrow will determine how we deal with the many looming challenges we’re facing, some of which are existential. This is really important stuff for the future of the human race, and it’s why I feel parenting is one of the things that can make a maximum difference.”
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.
