Family Development

Although Jodie is only eight years old, she is violent, aggressive, and has already been through numerous foster families. Her last hope is Cathy Glass. At the Social Services office, Cathy (an experienced foster carer) is pressured into taking Jodie as a new placement. Jodie's challenging behaviour has seen off five carers in four months. Despite her reservations, Cathy decides to take on Jodie to protect her from being placed in an institution.

Anne Lamott meets Elizabeth Gilbert in this inspirational, side-splittingly funny exploration of the power of living with love, forgiveness, and honesty. Glennon Melton became a sensation when her personal essays started going viral. Giving language to our universal (yet often secret) experiences, her hilarious and poignant observations were read by millions, shared among friends, discussed at water coolers, quoted in The New York Times, and have inspired a social movement.

A book sharing common, honest experiences of pregnancy, labour and the months after that aren't commonly shared! So many aspects of these phases aren't talked about despite most women experiencing them, so the author shares these details through her own personal stories, alongside a bit of "medicalish" reasoning behind why these things happen. The hope is to better prepare those embarking on this journey with a little entertainment and a laugh along the way.

The Second Baby Book examines all the questions and issues Sarah herself faced second time around as well as sharing the experiences of the many parents who have sought her advice. It also highlights what scientific studies reveal about such issues as the spacing of children and the differences between first and second births. Practical, insightful and honest, this book will help you understand the challenges ahead, but, more importantly, it will equip you to meet them with knowledge, confidence and a sense of excitement for the future.

Journalist Lauren Sandler is an only child and the mother of one. After investigating what only children are really like and whether stopping at one child is an answer to reconciling motherhood and modernity, she learned a lot about herself - and a lot about our culture's assumptions. In this heartfelt work, Sandler legitimizes a discussion about the larger societal costs of having more than one.

Combining humor, honesty, and plainspoken advice, Momma Zen distills the doubts and frustrations of parenting into vignettes of Zen wisdom .Drawing on her experience as a first-time mother, and on her years of Zen meditation and study, Miller explores how the daily challenges of parenthood can become the most profound spiritual journey of our lives. This compelling and wise memoir follows the timeline of early motherhood from pregnancy through toddlerhood.

Stop Yelling at the Kids! If this title caught your attention then it’s safe to assume you’re a parent that experiences occasional fits of rage. You feel frustrated and often catch yourself questioning how all the other parents cope. You might even be worried that you’re repeating the patterns that you experienced as a child growing up. The fear: You're turning into your parents! If this sounds familiar, this book is for you!

There is no bigger issue for healthy infants than sleeping through the night. In this simple, straightforward book, Suzy Giordano presents her amazingly effective "Limited-Crying Solution" that will get any baby to sleep for twelve hours at night-and three hours in the day-by the age of twelve weeks old. Giordano is the mother of five children and one of the most sought-after baby sleep specialists in the country. Her sleep plan has been tested - and it has never failed.

Moms can feel as if they are sprinting through life, crashing onto the pillow at day's end only to start again the next morning. In Breathe, Mama, Breathe, psychotherapist Shonda Moralis outlines the benefits of daily meditation and shows moms how to do it - in just five minutes.

Cathy Glass, international best-selling author, tells the shocking story of Zeena, a young Asian girl desperate to escape from her family. When 14-year-old Zeena begs to be taken into care with a non-Asian family, she is clearly petrified. But of what?Placed in the home of experienced foster carer Cathy and her family, Zeena gradually settles into her new life, but misses her little brothers and sisters terribly.

Awakening Fertility is a loving guide to accompany you along the road to whatever is next for you - whether it be a child or a deeper understanding of what it means to be a woman and the power that lies in your heart and in your womb. Including 25 healing recipes, Awakening Fertility is a source of connection, nourishment, and guidance to those desiring to become mothers. As opposed to the countless other books on "trying to conceive," Awakening Fertility looks at this time before motherhood as a chance for discovery and growth.

Being a parent is one of the most rewarding experiences in life, but every family faces challenges that can be frustrating and overwhelming. For more than 25 years, internationally renowned clinical psychologist Thomas W. Phelan's 1-2-3 Magic has helped millions of parents, teachers, and caregivers raise independent, emotionally intelligent children and build happier, healthier families - all through an easy to understand program that you'll swear "works like magic".

The Happy Sleeper shows parents how to avoid and undo cumbersome sleep habits, putting their babies and little kids on track to a full night's sleep. Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright teach parents that babies have an innate capacity to self-soothe, as well as the brain machinery to sleep well. So why do many families struggle at night? Most do what works today, but don't notice when it's no longer needed tomorrow, and then push harder when it becomes a hindrance the day after that.

What does a father do when hope is gone that his only son can ever lead anything close to a "normal" life? That's the question that haunted Dick Russell in the fall of 2011, when his son, Franklin, was 32. At the age of 17, Franklin had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. For years he spent time in and out of various hospitals, and even went through periods of adamantly denying that Dick was actually his father.

In her trademark gentle, supportive and reassuring style, best-selling author Sarah Ockwell-Smith shows that while we all lose it at times, everyone can become a calmer parent. Based on her many years' experience working with parents, Sarah provides research, advice and practical exercises that will set you on the path to calmer parenting that will benefit both you and your child.

Do today's children lack the flexibility and mental strength they need to cope with life's challenges in an increasingly complicated and scary world? With safe spaces and trigger warnings designed to "protect" kids, many adults worry that children don't have the resilience to reach their greatest potential. Amy Morin, the author who identified the characteristics that mentally strong people share, now gives adults - parents, teachers, and other mentors - the tools they need to become mental strength trainers.

Devastating family drama, abandonment, and drugs are balanced with laugh-out-loud humor that will keep you turning pages. You'll laugh, cry, and be left begging for more. The story begins with an episode that occurred in 1974. When Tom Bross (age 12) experiences a sudden move from Davis to San Anselmo to live with their God Family. Just two months later they move back to Davis with no place to live. His brother and sisters are dropped off at their friend's houses.

In The Difference a Father Makes, Ed Tandy McGlasson challenges dads to excel in fatherhood and equips them to do so. Using the model of Jesus and God the Father, he contends that setting up goal lines in the lives of children, marking when they enter into adulthood, is a must - and a father's job does not end there. In a powerful way, he answers the "Yeah, but how?" question every man asks after being stirred to be a good father.

Cruel to Be Kind is the true story of Max, age six. He is fostered by Cathy while his mother is in hospital with complications from type 2 diabetes. Fostering Max gets off to a bad start when his mother, Caz, complains and threatens Cathy even before Max has moved in. Cathy and her family are shocked when they first meet Max. But his social worker isn't the only one in denial; his whole family are, too.

Women: you're not alone in your marriage. You never have been, and you never will be. While it may not always feel like it, God desires for you to have a relationally healthy, emotionally engaged, and spiritually mature husband with whom you can share your days. In Loving Him Well, Gary Thomas builds on concepts from his best-selling book Sacred Marriage to reveal the inner workings of a man's heart and mind. He delves into Scriptures that help women gain biblical insight to influence their husbands.