When Nicholas Hobbs created the Re-EDucation model, he envisioned that this philosophy would inform multiple disciplines. Today, Re-ED is widely applied to work with troubled children in day treatment, school-based services, residential settings, and therapeutic wilderness programs. Hobbs outlined a dozen Principles of Re-EDucation that are described in detail in the book "Helping Troubled Children and Youth." While these are all relevant in work with families, this article concentrates on four principles: (1) Trust between a child and an adult is essential; (2) Competence makes a difference; (3) Self-control can be taught; and (4) In growing up, a child should know some joy each day and look forward to some joyous event for the morrow. The elegance of the Re-ED model is that there are no fixed dogmas, no prescribed interventions, only pervasive concepts. These principles do not restrain discovery or invention. Rather, the values of Re-ED strengthen one's ability to be helpful in any role or setting.