Kids Development

Our children can be our greatest teachers. Parenting expert Susan Stiffelman writes that the very behaviors that push our buttons - refusing to cooperate or ignoring our requests - can help us build awareness and shed old patterns, allowing us to raise our children with greater ease and enjoyment.

In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework - that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience.

Award-winning author Bonnie J. Rough never expected to write a book about sex, but life handed her a revelation too vital to ignore. As an American parent grappling with concerns about raising children in a society steeped in stereotypes and sexual shame, she couldn't quite picture how to teach the facts of life with a fearless, easygoing, positive attitude. Then a job change relocated her family to Amsterdam, where she soon witnessed the relaxed and egalitarian sexual attitudes of the Dutch. There, she discovered, the world's best sex ed begins in kindergarten....

Playful and practical, When You Wonder, You're Learning introduces a new generation of families to the lessons of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. By exploring the science behind the iconic television program, the book reveals what Fred Rogers called the “tools for learning”: skills and mindsets that scientists now consider essential. These tools - curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and more - have been shown to boost everything from academic learning to children’s well-being, and they benefit kids of every background and age.

Everyone—especially young children, teenagers and young adults—now reports higher levels of anxiety than ever before. Yet there's no playbook for parenting today. From the climate crisis to gun violence to political upheaval to racism, parenting in these times means bearing witness to chronic levels of uncertainty amidst societal and planetary transformation. Many are succumbing to fears and despair by becoming cynical “Doomers.” In Raising Anti‑Doomers, psychotherapist Ariella Cook‑Shonkoff reveals that Doomerism is nothing more than fear or despair gone wild.

An award-winning educator and the New York Times best-selling author of Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire, Rafe Esquith knows a thing or two about connecting with today's young people. Here he offers parents sound, proven advice on raising children ready to thrive in the 21st century.

As a parent, your role changes drastically after your kids grow up. You fear heartache and strained relationships when your children choose difficult—even seemingly wrong—paths. Love, Pray, Listen is the gracious, practical resource you need for navigating the rocky terrain of parenting grown-ups. Mary DeMuth offers a robust theology for long-term parenting gleaned from the discipleship model Jesus exemplified, one carefully applying his way of expressing love. This is your invitation for spiritual growth and a path toward fulfilling relationships with your adult children.

Every parent will have to discipline a child at some stage. No matter how well behaved they are, they all have a moment when behavior lapses and falls below what is expected. In years gone by, it was the custom to use physical force to chastise children, but this has been shown to be ineffective and now parents look for other ways to deal with problems.

In our attempt to be good parents and raise good kids, one area that parents continually find frustrating is the problem of getting them to listen, cooperate, and follow instructions. This often turns into a power struggle where, even if the child is forced to obey, the result is rarely satisfying. This book is designed to address this problem by helping parents become more influential in the lives of their children.

Studies show that the more you yell at your children, the worse their behavior will become. It’s a dreadful cycle that causes stress for parents and less effort from children. However, you have the power to break it once and for all! Not only is the adolescence phase challenging for a parent, but it is just as frustrating for teenagers. Through this informative guide, you’ll be empowered with crucial information that will give you the ability to be calm, no matter the situation.

We see it everywhere: at the park, in restaurants, and inside our homes and cars - kids connected to handheld devices and disconnected from the world around them. According to the latest research, the average 13-year-old spends eight hours per day, seven days a week, glued to a screen. Yes, this is problematic, but for every problem there is a solution. In Disconnected, renowned psychotherapist and longtime school counselor Tom Kersting explores the device-dependent world our children live in and how it is impacting their mental and emotional well-being.

Every year, more than 3.5 million children under age 15 require medical treatment for sports injuries, nearly half of which are the result of simple overuse. Journalist Mark Hyman investigates the evolution of youth sports from mere games to full-on quests to turn children into tomorrow's superstar athletes by pushing them beyond physical and emotional limits. Opening up a crucial discussion about the perils of youth-sports culture today, Hyman offers the solutions and answers we need.

Are you dreaming of starting a family but feeling overwhelmed by the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ+ parents? Or perhaps you’re already a parent looking for guidance that truly understands your experiences. You’re not alone. Many LGBTQ+ individuals share these concerns, longing for resources that embrace and celebrate their identity as parents.

"If you aim your children at anything less than greatness, you'll set them up to miss the whole point of their lives," says author Tim Kimmel. In Raising Kids for True Greatness, Kimmel turns the definition of success on its head and guides you in preparing your child for a life that will easily eclipse the goals of those who are merely successful.

Children today live in an unpredictable, disruptive, and often violent world. Many of them live in two different homes with different sets of expectations. They face bullying at school and online. They hear news of school shootings, and racially or religiously motivated violence. They may have lost a friend or a loved one. As parents, the impulse to protect our children is strong, but that very protection can end up handicapping them for life. Rather than seek to save them from the hard things, parents must teach their kids how to cope with and rise above their problems.

Adam rips parenthood a new one, telling it straight about what adults must do if they don't want to have to support their kids forever. Using his own crappy childhood as a cautionary tale, and touting the pitfalls of the kind of helicopter parenting so pervasive today, Daddy, Stop Talking is the only parenting book you should ever read.

Are you looking for the vital dos and don'ts of parenting? Perhaps you're tired of practicing toxic parenting? Unsurprisingly, every parent wants their child to be happy and to avoid screwing them up with the same upbringing patterns that aren't serving. But how do you do that? Parenting starts with you, the parent! Your psychological makeup, family history, past traumas, and personality traits are the ingredients of your parenting personality.

Is school for your kids a resounding success? For most of us, education was an uncomfortable process of sitting in stifling classrooms, listening to tedious lectures, struggling over stressful exams, and feeling like we were wasting our time and energy. There were class clowns, ruthless bullies, teacher’s pets, popular kids, and students no one wanted to be around.

With its practical advice and compassionate tone, The Myth of Laziness shows parents how to nurture their child's strengths and improve their classroom productivity. Most important, it shows how correcting these problems in childhood will help children live a fulfilling and productive adult life.

Parenting Is Hard and Then You Die provides a biblical and comprehensive strategy for raising healthy kids in a world that is morally bankrupt, spiritually desolate, and increasingly dangerous. That strategy is clear and specific, rooted in the Bible, proved successful, and communicated in a fun, entertaining way.