Paul Tough, author of How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character, argues that for kids to be successful, those traits mentioned in the title are more important than a high IQ or good test scores. He also found that parents eventually need to allow their kids to find their own way, to occasionally fail, and to learn how to rebound when things don’t go their way.
On being a parent and knowing when to let go, here's what Tough had to say in this NPR interview:
"When kids are really young — when they're in their first year or two of life — my sense from the research is you can't be too loving…What kids need at that point is just support, attention, parents who are really attuned to the child's needs. But at some point somewhere around 1, or 2 or 3, that really starts to change and what kids need is independence and challenge. And certainly as kids get into middle childhood and into adolescence, that's exactly what they need. They need less parenting…They need parents to really stand back, let them fall and get back up, let them fight their own battles."