And the feedback I'll get from the parents is our kids never talked to us that way.

How did you get them to do that?

Lee Benson is the author of Value Creation Kid, the healthy struggles your children need to succeed.

Growing up in a low-income family, Lee went from pulling weeds for 25 cents an hour

to founding and selling multiple successful companies.

And by the end of these discussions, they've gone from I'm a victim and I'll probably

never amount to much, so I can start anywhere and go everywhere.

What is the downside to protecting kids from adversity?

How do we create opportunities for our children to grow and eventually prosper on their own?

And what roles should the government play in all of this?

This is American Thought Leaders, and I'm Janja Kellek.

Lee Benson, such a pleasure to have you on American Thought Leaders.

It's great to be here with you, Jan. Thank you.

A mutual friend of ours made me aware of a book you've recently written.

Value Creation Kid.

And, you know, when I first heard the title, I have to say, I thought,

why are you, what is this about?

Why are you recommending this book to me?

And then I read the subtitle and I'll actually read it here.

The healthy struggles your children need to succeed.

And then I thought, oh, okay.

In our society today, there's a lot of focus on

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