Her children are Susan, the CEO of YouTube, Janet a professor of paediatrics at the University of California and Anne, founder of biotech company 23andme which popularised genetic testing.

That’s a pretty good qualification for being an expert on parenting, so it's not surprising that she has recently published a book, ‘How to Raise Successful People’.  In the book, Esther details her own philosophy on parenting and how she feels it aided her children’s success.

She has an unusual mix of old-fashion views and new ideas and is actively against high pressure schooling and too much testing. She also promotes self-driven learning and education reform. Esther looks at the traditional methods of bringing up children when it comes to her own parenting, such as clear structure and high parental expectations.

 

These things are also underpinned by key values such as strong attachment, warmth, kindness and empathy.

 

 

The mum-of-three uses the acronym TRICK to describe her parenting method. It stands for Trust, Respect, Independent, Collaboration and Kindness.

 

She is openly opposed to divorce. She said in an interview with the Irish Independent that she has seen a lot of the effects as a teacher, “I can tell you the number one people suffering the most are the kids... So even though you might get a divorce and you think things are better, you are just trading one kind of pain for another. And the pain never goes away, ever. It diminishes. But it's never gone. I think people have a false sense that they're going to get a divorce and everything is going to be fine."

 

Wojcicki is very against modern parenting techniques like helicopter parenting and snowplough parenting. She feels they are driven by worry and undermine the child. She also finds that tiger parenting, putting pressure on children to achieve the goals they set, overburdens children.

 

 

She feels that parents have lost their way in all of these different styles and the hoards of information that is thrown at them. She thinks firstly, that parents need to trust themselves and their instincts, and also trust their children. She suggests that it's best to give children small responsibilities and not to hover over them or second guess them. She sent her own kids to the shop next to their apartment at ages four and five.

 

Wojcicki feels that giving children the chance to be independent enables them to have some grit and empowers them to do the things they need to do.

 

It gives them a sense of self-belief when they complete these things. Of course, while giving them independence you provide them with support and kindness. This makes them aim high and gives them the go ahead to achieve any goal they set for themselves

 

"They have to believe in themselves." She says about parents. There is definitely something in trusting your instinct when it comes to parenting and not just doing what the book says.

 

When you are confident, your child can feel it and when you trust them with small things and set them small goals to complete themselves, they will carry that independence forward into whatever they do.