Family Conflict

Smart Parenting is all about making the difficult and often frustrating job of parenting a little bit easier and much more fun.

With few exceptions, parenting books, websites, and podcasts emphasize the critical role of the parent in shaping a child’s destiny. But the obsession with parenting ignores a fundamental biological fact: that genetics affect every aspect of human behavior, and every child is uniquely “coded” with predispositions that affect everything from fearfulness, to impulsivity, to happiness.

Let’s face it - we’re all messed up. Unless you’ve never been in a relationship before or you don’t have questionable family dynamics, chances are that some type of betrayal has happened in your life. So, what do we do about such problems? We usually dump all of that baggage on people who have nothing to do with our screwed up past. Raise your hand if you’ve been betrayed before, and you’re taking it out on your current partner now.

If you do a quick online search of toxic or narcissistic persons, the overwhelming advice you’ll find is to cut these people out of your life. But that’s easier said than done, especially if these people are family, colleagues, or other people with whom we live or work closely. We’ve all been around those people who can leave us feeling drained or a bit "off" after an encounter with them.

Ce îi determină pe oameni să calce strâmb, uneori chiar și atunci când au o căsnicie fericită? De ce doare atât de mult trădarea? Ce înseamnă, de fapt, infidelitatea? Ce așteptări avem în clipa în care ne căsătorim? Dar atunci când trădăm încrederea celui de lângă noi? Există oare căsnicii ferite pe vecie de teribilul spectru al adulterului? Poate o relație extraconjugală să salveze o căsnicie? Iată doar câteva dintre întrebările la care terapeutul Esther Perel oferă răspunsuri neașteptate și, de multe ori, în contradicție cu ceea ce majoritatea oamenilor consideră ca fiind moral.

Many people think they know what they are doing when they go up against someone else in court. But do you really know what you are getting yourself into? The narcissist values popularity, status, money, power, resources, and false image. Many court personnel also subscribe to these same priorities in their life, and if you weren’t successful in dealing with one narcissist - you surely won’t be able to cope with the lawyer team that your narcissist hired to antagonize you.

Explore your personal roots to shame with an expert. As a top authority on recovering from growing up in toxic families, Karen C. L. Anderson walks you through her shame story, her relationship with her narcissistic mother, and the simple practices she has developed to alleviate guilt from unhealthy relationships. Author of bestselling Difficult Mothers, Adult Daughters with over 150,000 copies sold, Karen offers tools to process, understand, and move beyond childhood trauma so you can not only survive, but thrive.

The Manager Mom Epidemic is the first book that not only acknowledges the fact that moms are burning out, but shows you how to transfer responsibility for daily tasks from yourself to your partner and also (gasp!) your kids. Clinical psychologist and child discipline expert Thomas W. Phelan, PhD, walks you through real-life situations and shows you how to step back from the things that are dragging you down.

With the increasing pressure to excel at parenting, work, and personal relationships, it's easy to feel stressed and dissatisfied. This targeted positive discipline guide gives parents the tools to parent effectively without sacrificing their well-being or giving up on their life goals. Instead of creating unachievable expectations, parents will learn how to play to their strengths at work and at home. Attitude is key - if you feel confident in your parenting abilities and at your job, your children are more likely to adopt an attitude of self-reliance and cooperation.

David Edey wants to save you a lot of trouble! In this self-help audiobook, he clearly, concisely, and repeatedly explains why it is important that every individual appoint an executor of their estate; what it means to be an executor of an estate; and how having a knowledgeable and responsible executor can help ensure a family’s wealth, welfare, health, and future happiness. The audiobook is filled with advice, tips, and many real-life examples demonstrating what can go wrong (and what can go right).

Conflict is inevitable, but peace, especially among Christians, is essential. When conflict turns into peace, frustration becomes clarity and turmoil becomes unity. When conflict turns into peace, God is glorified. But how do we find peace without ignoring our problems? How do we pursue unity without compromising on our principles? The Path of a Peacemaker offers a simple, proven path to a lifestyle of peace. It guides you through an examination of your own personal story, identifying the origins of your hopes and fears.

By the time you are done listening to this audiobook, desire for an active relationship with the teenager in your life can stretch beyond the one hug a year you get from your teen at Christmas time after they receive their presents. With Nicole Rice’s book Does Your Teen Talk? No, but They Text, Snap, & Tik Tok, she wants to help you achieve what to say and what not to say so your teen will talk more; what to do so you spend more and more good times with your teen; and how to talk less and listen more so you are a major difference in your teen’s life.

ADHD can be a hefty pain to deal with, especially for a child. At this point, they aren’t aware that their outbursts are causing others harm or that their hyperactivity might be harming themselves. They are acting out of instinct because that is all they know. As their parent, it is your job to lift them up and show them the way. If they have low self-esteem, you need to push them up. If they lack focus, you need to guide them to find it. With effective strategies, you can implement in your daily lives, managing ADHD can be achievable.

What parent hasn't thought her child was a brat at one point or another? Whether your child really is a brat, is at risk of becoming one, or is simply trying to grow up in a world filled with temptations and distractions, you'll love this book! It's the ultimate hands-on guide to cultivating character traits that are tried-and-true "bratbusters".

Discover the power of self-love, and learn how to set healthy boundaries – without feeling guilty. Do you ever wonder what it would be like if the people you care about respected your personal space? Do you wish that there was an easy way to say “No” every time you don’t want to say “Yes”? If this is you, then you’ve probably had moments of trying to please others – often, to your own detriment.

The only way to get over it is to get through it. Help is here. High-Conflict Divorce for Women has everything that divorce books for women should have - practical strategies, helpful scripts, and realistic advice on how to navigate and cope with a difficult divorce. From understanding the legalities of divorce, to developing a post-divorce budget, and more, this book goes beyond other divorce books for women to offer a wide range of strategies for getting through each stage of the process. Plus, you'll discover tips for emotional and physical self-care and mitigating stress.

Building on their work at Chaddock, a nonprofit organization that has worked with some of the most challenging kids in the nation for more than 150 years, the authors empower frustrated parents with practical tips and real-life examples on how to minimize behavioral meltdowns, reduce conflict, increase cooperation, promote healthy attachment, and improve family relationships. The strategies they share work both for the child who is going through a difficult phase brought on by life disruption or trauma, and for the child who faces chronic struggles.

In Rethinking Your Teenager, family therapist Darby Fox challenges parents to redefine the goals of adolescence by reorienting their focus from what they want their child to be to on who they want their child to be. Darby not only equips parents with the insight to understand the changes taking place in their child's brain and body and support their adolescent's bid for independence, but also offers an approach that allows parents to engage their adolescent in a relationship instead of struggling in an endless battle for control.

Belinda Bauman was living a comfortable life as a wife, mother, and nonprofit leader - but her soul was checked out. Then she met Esperance. An assault survivor living in one of the poorest, most dangerous countries in the world, Esperance and other Congolese women shared their harrowing stories with Belinda. Their vulnerability set Belinda on a path of embracing empathy. If Esperance could love in the face of so much pain, maybe there is hope for the world, too.

The Bible tells us that as far as it depends on us, we’re to be at peace with all people. But what happens when conflict is unavoidable? Here’s some good news: There are sociologically sound ways to deescalate conflict and win negotiations without acting like a jerk. Even better, you can actually emerge from conflicts with a stronger relationship with the person who was your adversary - whether it’s on the job, with your neighbor, in your marriage, or in a dark parking lot. When it comes to your current (or next) conflict, remember that resolution starts with de-escalation.