Kids Development

Just as sturdy scaffolding is necessary when erecting a building and will come down when the structure grows stable, good parenting provides children with steady and warm emotional nourishment on the path toward independence. Never-ending parental problem-solving and involvement can have the opposite effect, enabling fragility and anxiety over time.

Parents love to imagine their children growing up to be exceptional adults. But for many, raising exceptional adults seems a daunting task. Wherever you are in your parenting journey, there's hope for you. As a mom of four boys, Monica Swanson—also the author of Boy Mom and host of the popular Boy Mom podcast—knows the challenges and struggles of parenting and the kind of help that parents in the trenches are looking for. In Raising Amazing, Monica gives you the tools and techniques you need for a fresh perspective on parenting that may just change the trajectory of your family forever.

What does it take to raise great kids? If you've read any books on parenting, conflicting opinions have probably left you feeling confused. Get tough! Show acceptance. Lay down the rules. Lighten up, already! There's got to be a balance - and there is. Joining their expertise with the wisdom of MOPS International (Mothers of Preschoolers), Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend help you provide both the care and acceptance that make grace real to your child and the firmness and discipline that give direction.

Are your kids pummeling you with demands and bossing you around with impunity? Have your once-precious preschoolers become rebellious, entitled, and disrespectful to authority? While there are plenty of so-called experts who might try to validate your convictions that you have done all you can to “fix” your “difficult” children, the hard truth is, they’re not doing you any favors by placing the responsibility solely on your children. Therapist and parenting expert Sean Grover untangles the forces driving family dysfunction, and helps parents assume their leadership roles once again.

Ready or Not explores how today’s parenting techniques and our myopic educational system are failing to prepare children for their certain-to-be-uncertain future - and how we can reverse course to ensure their lasting adaptability, resilience, health, and happiness.

Mindfulness - the quality of attention that combines full awareness with acceptance of each moment, just as it is - is gaining broad acceptance among mental health professionals as an adjunct to treatment. This little audiobook is a very appealing introduction to mindfulness meditation for children and their parents. In a simple and accessible way, it describes what mindfulness is and how mindfulness-based practices can help children calm down, become more focused, fall asleep more easily, alleviate worry, manage anger, and generally become more patient and aware.

It’s time to parent smarter, not harder. Filled with scientifically based and eminently actionable advice and strategies, The Parents' Playbook boils down the ten essential things that every child needs to thrive so that parents can stop drowning in information and get to the business of raising healthier, happier humans. Written by three mental health professionals who work with families, organized for easy skimming, and designed to be useful at any stage in a child’s life, the book devotes one short, impactful chapter per principle.

Soccer star and Olympic gold medalist Christie Pearce Rampone and sports neuropsychologist Dr. Kristine Keane share the best practices that athletes, parents, and coaches can use to turn the lessons learned through sports into lifelong skills.

Our preteen years, ages nine to 13, can present some of the most difficult times in our young lives, a period of tremendous physical and emotional change. We're eager to leave the "kid" stage, yet we're uncertain about what adolescence will bring; we start hearing the familiar refrain "wait until you're older" far too often. Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul is a companion guide for these transitional years.

By informing your child about the foods they should be eating to grow healthy and strong, later handing them the wheel, so they can steer their nutrition themselves, you will be setting the foundation for an energy-filled, disease-free lifestyle.

Kids often suffer unknowingly from the consequences of sleep problems because their issue is frequently missed or dismissed, by both health professionals and parents. Sleep disorders are a major public health issue that can kick start a lifetime pattern of health, behavior, and learning problems. From ages four-ten, at least 25 percent of kids have sleep problems. Sleep Wrecked Kids guides parents towards good sleep as the norm, allowing themselves and their children to grow and thrive.

Some of the best philosophers in the world gather in surprising places—preschools and playgrounds. They debate questions about metaphysics and morality, even though they’ve never heard those words and can’t tie their shoes. They’re kids. And as University of Michigan professor of philosophy and law Scott Hershovitz shows, they can help grown-ups solve some of life’s greatest mysteries.

As parents, we all have, at one time or another, wondered: Where did this child come from? Am I doing something wrong? You are not doing anything wrong, and there is very likely nothing wrong with your child! When you understand your child's unique temperament, you will have the key to unlocking his behavior, moods, and motivational forces. Art and Laraine Bennett provide an accessible synthesis of classical wisdom, modern counseling, science, Catholic spirituality, and wonderful storytelling to the four basic temperaments that serve as the foundation of one's personality and approach to life.

Adversity is a normal part of life, and when we keep our children too protected, we rob them of the opportunity to learn and practice essential life skills like discernment, understanding, boldness, and resilience. Using Scripture and principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, Unshakable Kids gives you the tools to equip your children to withstand the negative pressures of society and walk bravely into the world with wisdom.

From the moment you discovered you were going to be a mom, you envisioned spending each day with your kids, guiding, teaching, and loving them. But diapers, wipes, shoes, and braces are expensive. Though it may feel impossible to manage on one income, author Erin Odom of The Humbled Homemakerblog is here to tell you that, through God's grace, staying at home with your kids isn't just doable; it's doable while living the good life. Erin shares 100 tips, tricks, and simple ways that she has provided the good life on a budget for her family, and you can do the same.

While anger is a normal emotion that everyone experiences, including kids, the trick is to help them express their anger in healthier ways. Instead of suppressing anger and bottling everything up inside, working with them to accept and understand their anger leads to lifetime emotional well-being and healthy relationships. This guide uses simple language for you and your kid to listen to and discuss together, while building a strong bond and having fun doing it.

Do you suspect your child may have anxiety? While it's normal for children of all ages to experience fears and worries, if your child's anxiety interferes with their daily life, it's time to get some help. Parenting Anxious Kids is an accessible, research-based guide for parents that is filled with actionable steps to help your child conquer their anxiety—and a must-have parenting tool in a world where kids' anxieties and fears are increasing.

Does watching your child lose their temper feel like looking into a mirror? Your children look to you for everything; from lunch money and homework help, to impulse control and emotional regulation. You are the model by which they set their standards. So, when it comes to anger management, are you demonstrating model behavior? If the answer is "no", you’re not alone. Even parents need help learning how to control our emotional responses, especially when it comes to feeling frustrated with our offspring.

In The Impossible Kid, relationship coach and pastor's wife Lucille Williams writes an exceptionally honest and funny account of parenting a strong-willed child. Through 11 entertaining chapters, this book provides practical tools for parents to sow seeds of encouragement in their kids as they aspire to raise adults who reflect the nature and character of God.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, digital technologies had become deeply embedded in children’s lives, despite a growing body of research detailing the harms of excessive immersion in the unregulated, powerfully seductive, profit-driven world of the “kid-tech” industry. In Who’s Raising the Kids? Linn—one of the world’s leading experts on the impact of Big Tech and big business on children—explores the roots and consequences of this monumental shift toward a digitized, commercialized childhood, focusing on kids’ values, relationships, and learning.