LEARN TO ANALYZE DETAILS Give Your Kids Courage.(A)(IBD 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)

Byline: Robin Grugal

6A lot of parents are anxious about getting their kids into the right schools, even sacrificing to pay the big tuitions. But experts say many are missing a parenting detail just as important to their kids' future -- the lesson of risk-taking.

"It's not just about the right schools," said Penelope Tzougros, financial planner with WS Griffith & Co. and speaker on topics such as risk-taking. "If given a strong sense of courage, it will do at least as much as a credential."

It's about giving your children a healthy attitude toward risk, Tzougros says. Teach them that it's OK to risk and tumble and risk again. When things don't work out, kids need to learn to dust themselves off and be ready to make the right follow-up move.

Tzougros offers the following tips for teaching your kids about risk-taking:

** Be like Ben Franklin. When it came time to make a tough decision, Ben Franklin took a piece of paper, folded it down the middle and wrote on each side the good or bad that could result. This is a good analysis tool for kids, Tzougros says.

Also try to get your child thinking in broader terms. Even if the good things are few, have your child think how he will feel if those good things happen. The risk might be worth it.