Originally published: Avon, Mass.: Adams Media, 2008.

When a child believes he is bad, he behaves badly-and parents react badly, which will only reinforce the child's belief that he is bad. But confident parents can break this cycle and improve their child's misbehavior, says child development specialist Bonnie Harris. Using Harris's eight parenting principles designed to help children succeed, parents will learn the following truths: my child wants to be successful behavior is the signal to my child's emotional state inappropriate behavior means my child is having a problem, not being a problem my needs are no more or no less important than my child's I accept my child as a competent and unique individual the behavior I focus on grows I need to say what my child can hear good discipline requires connection punishment breaks connection Putting these principles to work allows parents to abandon the typical reward and punishment system of discipline (which alienates child and parent), and replace it with a more compassionate, successful approach that brings parent and child together. With Harris's plan, parents will gain the confidence and skills to raise remarkable kids they will love to live with-and vice versa.

When a child believes he is bad, he behaves badly—and parents react badly, which will only reinforce the child's belief that he is bad. But confident parents can break this cycle and improve their child's misbehavior, says child development specialist Bonnie Harris. Using Harris's eight parenting principles designed to help children succeed, parents will learn the following truths: my child wants to be successful behavior is the signal to my child's emotional state inappropriate behavior means my child is having a problem, not being a problem my needs are no more or no less important than my child's I accept my child as a competent and unique individual the behavior I focus on grows I need to say what my child can hear good discipline requires connection punishment breaks connection Putting these principles to work allows parents to abandon the typical reward and punishment system of discipline (which alienates child and parent), and replace it with a more compassionate, successful approach that brings parent and child together. With Harris's plan, parents will gain the confidence and skills to raise remarkable kids they will love to live with—and vice versa.

As a parent, there are certain things that are guaranteed to push your buttons. You behave in ways you later regret, and your child learns to manipulate you. Rather than focusing on how you can change your child's behaviour, this deeply insightful and wonderfully wise book focuses on you, the parent. When Your Kids Push Your Buttons shows that it is your own attitudes and perceptions rather than your child's behaviour that spark your anger - and these are often based on your own relationship with your parents. Discover how to:· End the cycle of action and reaction between you and your child· See the hidden messages of both children and parents' anger· Understand why your own hidden agendas and standards as parents might push your child to act out· Address behaviour problems, not with anger, but with new solutions· Break free of the past and connect with your children. Filled with anecdotes from real parents and based on hundreds of real-life situations, this book is destined to become a parenting classic.

From the creator of the popular blog Mommy Shorts comes a “hilarious and comforting” look at real-world motherhood (New York Times bestselling author, Jill Smokler). Ilana Wiles is not a particularly good mother. She’s not a particularly bad mother either. Like most of us, she’s somewhere in between. And she has some surprisingly good advice about navigating life as an imperfect parent. In this witty and loving homage to the every-parent, Wiles suggests that they having the best child-rearing experience of all. Using Wiles’s signature infographics and photographs to illustrate her personal and hilarious essays on motherhood, The Mommy Shorts Guide to Remarkably Average Parenting is an honest book that celebrates the fun of being a mom.

A groundbreaking guide to raising responsible, capable, happy kids Based on the latest research on brain development and extensive clinical experience with parents, Dr. Laura Markham’s approach is as simple as it is effective. Her message: Fostering emotional connection with your child creates real and lasting change. When you have that vital connection, you don’t need to threaten, nag, plead, bribe—or even punish. This remarkable guide will help parents better understand their own emotions—and get them in check—so they can parent with healthy limits, empathy, and clear communication to raise a self-disciplined child. Step-by-step examples give solutions and kid-tested phrasing for parents of toddlers right through the elementary years. If you’re tired of power struggles, tantrums, and searching for the right “consequence,” look no further. You’re about to discover the practical tools you need to transform your parenting in a positive, proven way.

Confident Parents, Confident Kids lays out an approach for helping parents—and the kids they love—hone their emotional intelligence so that they can make wise choices, connect and communicate well with others (even when patience is thin), and become socially conscious and confident human beings. How do we raise a happy, confident kid? And how can we be confident that our parenting is preparing our child for success? Our confidence develops from understanding and having a mastery over our emotions (aka emotional intelligence)—and helping our children do the same. Like learning to play a musical instrument, we can fine-tune our ability to skillfully react to those crazy, wonderful, big feelings that naturally arise from our child’s constant growth and changes, moving from chaos to harmony. We want our children to trust that they can conquer any challenge with hard work and persistence; that they can love boundlessly; that they will find their unique sense of purpose; and they will act wisely in a complex world. This book shows you how. With author and educator Jennifer Miller as your supportive guide, you'll learn: the lies we’ve been told about emotions, how they shape our choices, and how we can reshape our parenting decisions in better alignment with our deepest values. how to identify the temperaments your child was born with so you can support those tendencies rather than fight them. how to align your biggest hopes and dreams for your kids with specific skills that can be practiced, along with new research to support those powerful connections. about each age and stage your child goes through and the range of learning opportunities available. how to identify and manage those big emotions (that only the parenting process can bring out in us!) and how to model emotional intelligence for your children. how to deal with the emotions and influences of your choir—the many outside individuals and communities who directly impact your child’s life, including school, the digital world, extended family, neighbors, and friends. Raising confident, centered, happy kids—while feeling the same way about yourself—is possible with Confident Parents, Confident Kids.

"A close relationship with our kids is a gift. But, it's possible to become so over-involved that our kids don't learn to spread their wings. And, how does that hovering 'helicopter' mode impact us as parents? This unique resource releases both parents and kids to fully enjoy the comforts of the nest and their ability to explore and grow beyond it. Courageous Parents, Confident Kids gives you the practical skills and inspiration every family needs to grow up together. This is your guide to sustainable parenting that makes letting go a safer and happier process, every step of the way"--Cover, p. 4.

Are you struggling to connect with your child now that they've left the nest? Are you feeling the tension and heartache as your relationship dynamic begins to change? In Doing Life with Your Adult Children, bestselling author and parenting expert Jim Burns provides practical advice and hopeful encouragement for navigating this tough yet rewarding transition. If you've raised a child, you know that parenting doesn't stop when they turn eighteen. In many ways, your relationship gets even more complicated--your heart and your head are as involved as ever, but you can feel things shifting, whether your child lives under your roof or rarely stays in contact. Doing Life with Your Adult Children helps you navigate this rich and challenging season of parenting. Speaking from his own personal and professional experience, Burns offers practical answers to the most common questions he's received over the years, including: My child's choices are breaking my heart--where did I go wrong? Is it OK to give advice to my grown child? What's the difference between enabling and helping? What boundaries should I have if my child moves back home? What do I do when my child doesn't seem to be maturing into adulthood? How do I relate to my grown child's significant other? What does it mean to have healthy financial boundaries? How can I support my grown children when I don't support their values? Including positive principles on bringing kids back to faith, ideas on how to leave a legacy as a grandparent, and encouragement for every changing season, Doing Life with Your Adult Children is a unique book on your changing role in a calling that never ends.

Under the tremendous pressure and influence of peers and media today, children are being conditioned to follow the American Happiness Formula: look good + perform well + get approval = happiness. Yet rather than offering fulfillment and confidence, this outwardly based quest is causing alarming rates of childhood stress, anxiety, and depression. Life Ki-do Parenting provides the antidote, giving you the techniques to help your child find true and lasting happiness from within. Integrating twenty years of experience teaching life skills and martial arts to thousands of children, twenty-five years of mindfulness and meditation study, and data and research from modern psychology and neuroscience, Jonathan Hewitt developed the Tools for Life system, made up of four powerful components: River Check-in for improving focus River Effort for building confidence and a strong sense of self A-B Formula for developing resilience when facing life's challenges My Shoes, Your Shoes, Our Shoes for cultivating social intelligence These four original tools empower children with the critical skills they need to thrive today and into adulthood. Going beyond concept and theory, they give you kid-friendly vocabulary and a simple process for helping your children look inward to monitor themselves rather than looking outward to others for their validation and self-worth. What greater peace can you have as a parent than knowing you have given your child the roots and wings to successfully navigate their way through life?