Resilient Kids

Arguments rage. Mental health suffers. Children need to be resilient, and when they develop this ability and make wise choices, it becomes part of their character. Furthermore, they need parents who help them to learn from negative experiences and who allow them a certain measure of struggle.

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.

With so many “experts” touting different approaches to raising thriving children, how do you know which is the best one? Dr. Rhonda Spencer-Hwang, professor of public health at Loma Linda University and mom of three, had the same question. As a member of a community known worldwide for its health and longevity, often referred to as a Blue Zone, she decided to study the area’s many centenarians to find out what they - or their parents - did right in childhood to make them so resilient to stress, disease, and the adversities of life.

Over her decades as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Mona Delahooke has routinely counseled distraught parents who struggle to manage their children’s challenging, sometimes oppositional behaviors. These families are understandably focused on correcting or improving a child’s lack of compliance, emotional outbursts, tantrums, and other “out of control” behavior. But, as she has shared with these families, a perspective shift is needed. Behavior, no matter how challenging, is not the problem but a symptom; a clue about what is happening in a child’s unique physiologic makeup.

In a time when so many children and young adults seem to be struggling, parents are looking for help in bringing up mentally healthy kids who are equipped to thrive. Finally, evidence-based help is now available for overwhelmed parents who are trying their best but feel like they’re falling short.

Fifth grade was the worst year of Marc's life. He stunk at gym class, math was too hard for him, the school lunch was horrible, and his class field trip was ruined because he couldn't swim. But what was the most awful thing about fifth grade? Kenny Williamson, the class bully, who called himself the "King of the Jungle". When Marc's mother tells him that his uncle Jake is coming to stay for the whole summer, Marc can't wait. Uncle Jake is a for-real super-cool Navy SEAL. And Uncle Jake has a plan.

Today's youth-sports experience provokes countless questions for well-intentioned parents. How young should kids start playing sports? Should they specialize—and when? What should a parent do when their kid is not getting the playing time they think their child deserves? How do parents encourage children without overwhelming them? Raising Empowered Athletes has answers for every youth-sports situation with an overarching goal of not only helping parents raise strong athletes but also nurture great human beings who are empowered to succeed on and off the playing field.

Has your child experienced racial aggression, bullying, or harassment? Have they ever asked you why they are treated differently? If so, you are not alone. Discrimination and racism in society are a constant stressor and painful topic of conversation for many Black families. In this much-needed resource for parents of Black children, race and mental health expert Erlanger Turner combines evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skills with mindfulness and liberation psychology to help your kids cope with race-based stress, challenge systemic oppression and marginalization, and thrive.

While most parenting programs are designed to coerce kids to change, Parenting Without Power Struggles does something innovative, showing you how to help your children awaken their natural instincts to cooperate, rather than employing threats or bribes, which inevitably fuels their resistance. By staying calm and being the confident "captain of the ship" your child needs, you will learn how to parent from a place of strong, durable connection, and you'll be better able to help your kids navigate the challenging moments of growing up.

There's a new set of 3Rs for our kids - respect, responsibility, and resilience - to better prepare them for life in the real world. Once developed, these skills let kids take charge, and let parents step back, to the benefit of all. Casting hover mothers and helicopter parents aside, Vicki Hoefle encourages a different, counterintuitive, yet much more effective, approach to parenting: for parents to sit on their hands, stay on the sidelines - even if duct tape is required!

Witty and straight-shooting, Duct Tape Parenting entertains as it informs parents how to do less in order to raise more confident, capable children.

A practical guide to helping children build and nurture their resilience. Discover essential techniques to help your child develop resilience without expensive interventions. Children possess remarkable resilience, yet without proper guidance, they may struggle to cultivate it fully.

Bringing Up Bébé meets Last Child in the Woods in this lively, insightful memoir about a mother who sets out to discover if the nature-centric parenting philosophy of her native Scandinavia holds the key to healthier, happier lives for her American children.

Having a child sit still and “concentrate on their breath” for 30 minutes just doesn't work. Ask anyone who has a kid. The meditations in this collection were professionally written and recorded to teach fundamental mindfulness meditation skills to children in an easy, approachable way.

In this 10th-anniversary edition of Don't Alienate the Kids attorney, mediator, and therapist Bill Eddy shows listeners how to protect children from the harm of alienation and high-conflict divorce, boosting their resilience by teaching them to think flexibly, manage their emotions, and moderate their behaviors.

When it comes to a child's sense of family, what divorce breaks apart, solid co-parenting rebuilds. With a tested "here's how" approach, The Co-Parents' Handbook helps parents confidently take on the challenges of raising children in two homes. Addressing parents' questions about the emotional impact of separation, conflict, grief and recovery, the authors skillfully provide a road map for all members of the family to safely navigate through separation/divorce and beyond.

Kelly Oriard and Callie Christensen, early childhood experts and founders of the Slumberkins brand of characters supporting emotional learning, provide accessible products and tools for empowering kids to build lifelong emotional intelligence. Written for parents and caregivers, All Feelings Welcome helps you support children in noticing, naming, and welcoming all feelings through the everyday parenting moments and in the more challenging times when you and your child need support.

What does it mean to be a good parent? Are you a good parent when your child is compliant, but a bad parent when they're not? What if they're perfect at age three and challenging at 13? And what if your child has additional needs? This is an audiobook about parenting styles and what it takes to be a great parent. We know about tiger parents, helicopter parents, free-range parents, but have you heard of Tesla parents, leaf-blower parents and iPhone 6 parents? We can parent in so many ways, but is there a style that actually works?

Every parent has pondered "nature vs. nurture" questions. How much of my child's personality and behavior is inborn? How much is learned? This important book, written by behavioral scientists who are also mothers, has answers. This book offers the best parenting practices to foster resilience by encouraging children's social-emotional development and adaptive stress-regulation strategies. The authors translate scientific research into concrete, actionable tips and recommendations to help promote the emotional wellbeing of both child and parent.

In the vastness of the human experience, we sometimes overlook the relationships most precious to our hearts. That of our sacred privilege and responsibility to nurture all children. Conscious Brain Training from your heart is a key to cultivating happiness.

Conscious Parenting is not about controlling our kids or who they become. Instead, it is about giving them a foundation that allows them to walk into adulthood with confidence, assertiveness, a deep connection to themselves, emotional and spiritual resiliency, and mental fortitude.