In GOOD KIDS, Nick reveals an inconvenient truth: children praised for being “easy,” mature, and well-behaved often grow into adults who struggle with perfectionism, people-pleasing, emotional suppression, and an intense fear of failure. These “good kids” don’t act out — they internalize.
Nick offers compassionate, research-backed insight into how well-meaning parents can unintentionally create long-term emotional harm and helps parents use supportive approaches that nurture confident, self-assured kids.
Discussion topics include:
- How “good parenting” can still result in traumatized “good kids.”
- Why a child’s good behavior isn’t a reliable measure of emotional health
- Signs discipline may be rooted in shame or control — and how to course-correct
- Why adult “good kids” struggle to ask for help or express needs
- How recovering “good kids” can reparent themselves with self-compassion
"An old soul" ... "a delight to have in class" ... "so mature for your age"
If you grew up as a Good Kid, you probably heard these words a lot. And you were good. Quiet. Easy. Responsible. So disciplined, you basically raised yourself. You’re the one everyone counts on — and you wear it like a good star.
But nobody ever checks on you. And you’re exhausted from proving your goodness by being an overachieving, people pleasing, perfectionist, pushover, and shape-shifting chameleon.
Good Kids is about the invisible trauma and cost of always being “good” — a lifetime of bottling your emotions, performing calm while constantly scanning everyone around you for the slightest sign of upset or disappointment and the crushing fear of being “a burden.” Oh, and always worrying that you’re in trouble.
Maggie Nick was a Good Kid too — the one who “never caused trouble” and always made sure everyone else was okay (even when she wasn’t). Now a trauma therapist, parenting expert, and cycle breaking mom, she’s here to help you heal from the fallout of being easy to raise and show you how to support the good kids in your life through those same messy, human moments you weren’t allowed to have.
This book answers the questions you’ve been asking yourself for years, like:
Why do I feel crushing guilt when I say no?
Why do I replay conversations for days, convinced I did something wrong?
Why do I feel like I’m “too much” and “not enough”?
With raw honesty, deep compassion and grounded research, Good Kids gives you the clarity and validation you’ve been searching for your whole life and the handbook for how to heal and break the good kid cycle for your children.
About GOOD KIDS:
Anyone who grew up as a “good kid” likely heard constant praise from the adults around them: “a delight to have in class,” “an old soul,” “so mature for their age.” Quiet, responsible, disciplined, and easygoing, these children are what many parents strive to raise—and when they succeed, both parent and child are rewarded with approval.
But because these “good kids” appear so self-sufficient, few people think to check in on them. While they may seem to raise themselves, many are quietly struggling with perfectionism, overachieving, people-pleasing, and hyper-vigilance.
In GOOD KIDS: Why You Suffered in Silence and How to Break the Cycle (Sheldon Press/Hachette UK; on sale 1/27/26), trauma therapist and parenting expert Maggie Nick explores how these children often grow into anxious, self-doubting adults. Through an accessible exploration of relational shame trauma, Nick reveals why “good kids” learn to bottle their emotions, seek constant approval, and fear being a burden—patterns that can persist well into adulthood.
A recovering “good kid” herself, Nick understands firsthand how this pressure builds over time—and how it can be unlearned. Drawing on research and years of clinical experience counseling countless recovering “good kids,” she offers practical tools for parents and adult “good kids” alike to identify harmful patterns, break generational cycles of toxic parenting, and cultivate self-compassion, emotional safety, and authentic connection.
About Maggie Nick:
Maggie Nick is a licensed clinical social worker, trauma therapist, and parenting expert. She founded Camp Lovable, a self-compassion–focused healing community and is widely known for her popular Instagram and TikTok accounts, @maggiewithperspectacles. She holds a Master’s in Social Work from Indiana University and lives near the beach in Florida with her husband, two children, and beloved dogs.
