The Menstuff® library lists pertinent books on Parenting - General. See Parenting - Single separately. See able Books fathers & daughters, fathers-genereal, fathers-single, fathers & sons, mentoring, mothers & daughters, mothers-general, mothers & sons, parenting-general, sex roles, sexuality-general and Issues fathers & daughters, fathers-general, fathers stories, tv violence.
Atkins, Dale, I'm OK, You're My Parents:
How to overcome guilt, let go of anger, and create a relationship
that works. In a recent study, half of all Americans rated
their relationship with at leasst one parent as either "poor" or
"terrible," and more than a third felt this way about both
parents. As we continue to live longer and the parent-child
relationship extends further into adulthood, this problem has
reached epidemic proportion. Now, the author presents a
step-by-step plan for adults trying to come to terms with parents
who are demanding yet generous, infuriating yet lovable - and
entirely human. In this book, the author applies the same
intelligent, no-nonsense approach that's made her a frequent guest
on top-rated TV shows and explains how you can radically
restructure the longest long-term relationship of your life - with
or without your parents' help. This book will help you leave
behind childhood roles and fantasies about what you wish your
parents were like and develop a new, empathetic relationship of
equals. This book is a comprehensive, articulate guide for
everyone who is desperate to break free of fruitless, frustrating
interactions and build a life that they and their parents can live
with - forever. Henry Holt, www.henryholt.com
2004, ISBN 0-8050-7353-1 
Baker, Jean, Family Secrets, Gay
Sons: A mother's story. Written from the viewpoint
of a parent/psychologist, this book offers insights into the
developmental needs of gay and lesbian children in a way no other
book has done. School counselors, psychologists, marriage and
family counselors, teachers, school administrators, and the
parents and siblings of gays and lesbians will all learn new
levels of acceptance from reading this honest, helpful, and
encouraging book. Harrington Park Press, 1998
ISBN 1-56023-915-8 Buy
This Book!
Bempechat, Janine, Getting Our Kids Back
on Track: Educating children for the future. Compared to
children from other industrialized countries, our nation's
children are scholastic underachievers. But in our quest to keep
our children "well rounded" we leave little time for homework and
other activities considered by many to be an important part of
their education. It's obvious - our notions about promoting a
child's positive self-esteem seem to contradict what is needed to
achieve academic excellence. Is it too late? Not
according to the author, an acclaimed educational researcher from
Harvard and the parent of two school-aged children. She offers
parents and teachers a practical guide to encourage and support
children's academic success and, by doing so, bolster their
self-worth. The book reveals that those parents who advocate for
reduced homework loads, stress-free schoolwork, and an increase in
extracurricular activites are actually doing children a great
disservice. Using illustrative real-life examples from her years
of research, she shows how to set priorities and help children
develop traits of persistence, diligence, and the ability to delay
gratification. This important book offers a new vision that can
inspire parents to create a structured, predictable and consistent
home environment that will help children reach their full
intellectual potential. Jossey-Bass. 2000. 888.378.2537 or
www.josseybass.com
ISBN 0-7879-4991-4 Buy
This Book!
Bernstein, Robert A, Straight
Parents, Gay Children: Inspiring families to live
honestly and with greater understanding. As manager of the
National Coming Out Project, one of the author's responsibilities
was helping non-gay people understand just what is this event we
call "coming out". When he spoke to gay and non-gay groups, he
always began with his own coming-out story and explained it as a
process. The first part of the process is coming out to yourself -
realizing, acknowledging and finally accepting that you are gay.
This stage can happen as a preteen, a young adult, or even a
member of AARP. For some it is a struggle and a challenge, for
some a revelation and enlightenment. The next in the process is
coming out to another person, which usually involves dealing with
the prevalence of myths and misconceptions about being gay as well
as what are some fairly typical parental reactions to a child's
coming out. As Rep Barney Frank, U.S. House of Representatives
said, "If Bob Bernstein's book were compulsory reading in America,
the population of bigots would dwindle at a rapid rate. His
ability to make the case for fairness and decency in our treatment
of each other is unsurpassed." Thunder's Mouth Press 1999
ISBN 1-56025-229-4 Buy
This Book!
Berry, Mary Frances, The Politics of Parenthood: Child
care, women's rights and the myth of the good mother. Who is
responsible for our children - and why? American
society still clings to a family model in which child care is a
woman's responsibility. But this trailblazing book by a prominent
historian and former official of the Carter administration
suggests that behind the rhetoric of maternal responsibility are
issues of power, resources and control Reaching back into the
American past - and into the experiences of black, white and
Native Americans - the author reveals how recent our definition of
"good" parenting really is. For example, both Thomas Jefferson and
John Adams were raised by their fathers. She argues that what
matters is not who cares for the children, but the quality of the
care. She calls for a new model of parenting based not on
ideology, but on children's needs. Gloria Steinem says about this
book, "In a rare book the author shows that men of the past were
more equal parents and that equal responsibility for children is
the basis of gender equality. If the first stage of revolution was
proving that women can do what men do. This book heralds the next
stage: Men can do what women do." Viking, 1993
ISBN 0-670-83705-9 Buy
This Book!
Bouris, Karen, The First Time: What parents
& teenage girls should know about "losing your
virginity". As Ann Landers has been saying for years, the more
young people know about sex, the better their chances of staying
out of trouble. These stories illustrate how important it is for
young people to learen about the physical, emotional and social
ramifications of sex, to be able to talk about these things among
themselves and with knowledgeable and understanding adults before,
and after, the first time. This book reveals the emotional truth
about sexual initiation by sharing stories from women of all ages,
races, and walks of life. By encouraging a dialogue between
parents and teens, the book gently guides us in our understanding
of this complex experience and gives us a blueprint for healthy
sexuality. Conari Press, 1995 ISBN 0-943233-93-3 Buy
this book!
Bronson, PO & Ashley Merryman,
Nurture Shock: New thinking about children. The
authors have written what is destined to become one of the most
provocative and influential books about children of our time. The
force and wisdom of these award-winning journalists' work have
been apparent since the publication of their cover story "The
Inverse Power of Praise" in New York magazine. Literally
overnight, parents changed how they talked to children. Schools
assigned the article as homework for teachers, while business
leaders discussed how it would change the way they rewarded
employees. Over 1,000 bloggers typed away, while legislators and
religious leaders considered how the article could transform the
larger society. But the authors' insight on praise is just part of
the first chapter of this book. There are nine more equally
groundbreaking chapters after that. A MUST READ for every
parent, teacher and administrator. Plus, even if you don't fit
into any of these categories, it's exploration can benefit us all.
Hachette Audio version, www.hachetteaudio.com,
2009 Audio format ISBN 978-1-60024-840-5
Also in book form.
Brown, Mason, Breathe: A guy's
guide to pregnancy. Finally, a book for guys that solves the
riddles of pregnancy. Do you think that newborn babies can eat
Doritos? That they can't cream very loudly since they just
have tiny little baby lungs? That you will still be able to
golf on weekends after your baby is born? If so, you
need this book! It takes guys misstep-by-misstep
through the satages of pregnancy and the early days of childhood.
Considered by many to be the unofficial pregnancy handbook for the
NBA, it is filled with useful tips like: Never use a
gynecologist whose Medical School Diploma has palm trees on the
side. Pre-natal music: Mozart yes, Wagner, No! Child experts
from all over the world agree - if you're a first time father,
drop your baby and pick up this book! The author of "Who Cut the
Cheese?" www.passthecigars.com
Simon & Schuster, www.simonsays.com
2002. ISBN 0-7432-1970-8 Buy
this book!
Brazelton, T. Berry and Stanley
Greenspan, The Irreducible Needs of Children: What every
child must have to grow, learn, and flourish. What do infants
and children really need? In this impassioned dialogue our
country's most distinguished pediatrician and most influential
child psychiatrist define what every child must have in the first
years of life. Cutting through the theories, platitudes, and
controversies that abound in childcare advice, the authors, both
famed advocates for children, lay out the seven irreducible needs
of any child, in any society. They confront the hard questions:
Are parents in America and other countries spending enough time
with their children? What is the basic time
requirement? What is the effect of full-time day care on
infants and toddlers? What is the impact of shifting
caregivers, of foster care, and of custody and adoption
arrangements? Nothing is off limits, even whether or
not most children can learn in today's public schools and whether
environmental hazards are undermining their healthy growth and
development. This short, hard-hitting book, the fruit of decades
of experience and caring, sounds a wake-up call for parents,
teachers, judges, political leaders - anyone who cares about the
future of children, and, therefore, society.Perseus Publishing
www.perseusbooks.com
2000 ISBN 0-7382-0325-4 Buy
this book!
Burette, Michael, Life As We Know It: A father,
family, and an exceptional child, www.randomhouse.com,
Pantheon Books, 1996
Bly, Robert, The Sibling Society: An
impassioned call for the rediscovery of adulthood. At the
close of the twentieth century, adults have regressed toward
adolescence while adolescents refused to become adults. Respect
for elders has given way to the furious competition of peers or
siblings who strive not to be good or great but to be famous.
Community has been supplanted by TV and the Internet. Where have
all the grown-ups gone? Robert attempts to answer that question
and offers a dramatic reinterpretation of trends as diverse as
corporate downsizing and the collapse of the American family. With
a vision that encompasses politics, economics, and psychology as
well as the ancient stories of Jack and the Beanstalk and the
Hindu god Gnash, By looks unblinkingly into our national soul and
produces a brace, redemptive book of genuine moral authority. In
paperback from Vintage Books www.randomhouse.com
1997 Buy
This Book!
Brett, Armani, The New Father: A Dad's
Guide to the Toddler Years. An essential handbook on all
aspects of fatherhood during the second and third years. Learn
about charting your toddler's physical, intellectual, verbal and
social development. Understand your own emotional and
psychological development. Play games, read, and yes, cook with
your toddler. choose the right preschool. Improve communication
with your partner. Family planning. Teaching your toddler about
money. Turing up your finances. Illustrated with cartoons that
will make even the most harried father a chuckle. An indispensable
source book for every dad. Moms are sure to find it a valuable
reference as well. Abbeville Press www.abbeville.com
1998 Buy
This Book!
Burt, Sandra and Linda Perlis, Parents
as Mentors: A new perspective on parenting that can change
your child's life. You are your child's first - and most
important - teacher. Why? Because you have the power to bring
out all of the hidden talents that are waiting to emerge within
your child. Using the techniques described in this book, authors
and mothers raised seven children who went on to earn degrees from
Harvard, Brown, Stanford, Yale, Harvard Medical School, and
Oberlin. Inside, they show you how you too can develop your
child's full potential simply by learning to identify, affirm, and
develop his or her natural talents and abilities. With this book,
you'll discover the rich rewards of mentoring your child. Prima
Publishing, www.primalife.com
1999 ISBN 0-7615-1685-9 Buy
This Book!
Carroll, Lee & Jan Toner, The
Indigo Children: The new kids have arrived. The Indigo
Child is a boy or girl who displays a new and unusual set of
psychological attributes, revealing a pattern of behavior
generally undocumented before. This pattern has singularly unique
factors that call for parents and teachers to change their
treatment and upbringing of these kids to assist them in achieving
balance and harmony in their lives and to help them avoid
frustration. In this groundbreaking book, the authors answer many
of the often-puzzling questions surrounding Indigo Children such
as: Can we really be seeing human evolution in kids
today? Are these kids smarter than we were at their
age? How come a lot of our children today seem to be
"system busters"? Why are so many of our brightest kids being
diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)? Are there proven
working alternatives to Rani? Throughout this work, the
authors bring together some very fine minds who shed light on this
phenomenon. These children are truly special, representing a great
percentage of all the kids being born today on a worldwide basis.
They come in "knowing who they are - so they must be recognized,
celebrated for their exceptional qualities, and guided with love
and care. Hay House www.hayhouse.com
or www.indigochild.com
1999 ISBN 1-5170-608-6 Buy
This Book!
Clark, Ron, The Excellent 11: Qualities
teachers and parents use to motivate, inspire and educate
children. After published the New York Times
bestseller, The Essential 55, the author took his rules
on the road and traveled to schools and districts in 49 states. He
met amazing teachers, administrators, students, parents - all
kinds of people involved in bringing up great kids. In the best of
these people, he noticed the same qualities that he'd observed in
so many of the teachers, children and parents he'd worked with
during his time teaching in North Carolina and Harlem. He found
that The Excellent 11 are the qualities that children and
students embody when they are passionate about learning - and
about life. He pinpoints what it takes to make a great student -
and shows that the qualities apply to both educating children and
becoming a great teacher or parent. You'll find out what the
characteristics are, why they work, and how you can incorporate
them into your classroom, home and life. Hyperion, www.hyperionbooks.com,
2004, ISBN 1-4013-0141-X 
Crawford, Susan Hoy, Beyond Dolls
& Guns: 101 ways to help children avoid gender
bias. This book offers parents concrete, easy-to-follow
suggestions for raising boys and girls who can treat each other
(and themselves) with dignity and respect, and can grow into
adults who are equally caring, competent, and courageous. It is a
fun, balanced, easy-to-read and ready-to-use book. It is loaded
with tips for parents, teachers and anyone who cares about girls'
and boys' healthy development. It does concenrate on sexism
against girls. Page one says "Gender stereotypes and bias hurt
boys: Boys who like to read. Boys who don't like hunting,
fishing or mechanics. Boys who don't like sports (or who do, but
are pushed too hard)." Each one of these is a gender stereotype.
And assumes that gender stereotypes don't hurt boys who like
sports, or hunting or mechanics. However, a suggestion from the
book itself is that anywhere the female reference is used, replace
it with the male reference and see if it is equal. "Gender
stereotypes and bias hurt girls: Girls who like to read.
Girls who don't like hunting, fishing, or mechanics. Girls who
don't like sports (or who do, but are pushed too hard)." Other
than that bias, it is really a valuable addition to the parenting
role. Heinemann, 1999 ISBN 0-435-08129-2 Buy
This Book!
DeCrescenzo, Teresa, ed., Helping Gay and Lesbian
Youth: New policies, new programs, new practice. Rich in
insights into how gay and lesbian adolescents develop and learn to
cope with problems attendant on growing up different. This
groundbreaking work described in this book has been done with
child welfare deparments, law enforcement, the public schools and
mental health agencies in educating them to the special needs of
gay and lesbian youngsters. Harrington Park Press, 1994
ISBN 1-56023-057-6 Buy
this book!
Elium, Jeanne & Don, Raising a
Family: Living on planet parenthood. Authors of
Raising a Daughter and Raising a Son, the authors
have once again delivered ground breaking concepts with new tools
for building and maintaining every American family. They discuss
not only the dramatic changes and necessary adjustments that
children bring to our lives, but they also address, with insight
and sensitivity, the evolution of the family itself. Whether we
are a two-parent, single-parent, stepparent, gay-couple,
intergenerational, adopted-child, foster-child, or even childless
family, we all face the same obstacles and grapple with the same
dilemmas. Celestial Arts 1997 ISBN 0-89087-818-0 Buy
This Book!
Faber, Adele & Elaine Mazlish, Liberated Parents,
Liberated Children, Grosset & Dunlap, 1974
Flakowski, Carol, Dangerous
Drugs: An easy-to-use reference for parents and
professionals. The drug scene is more confusing and dangerous
than ever - and it's changing as fast as our complex world. At
long last, here's a concise, comprehensive, and clear handy
reference that answers your questions at a glance with up-to-date
information on new drugs and new uses of old drugs, statistical
analyses of the use of each drug, explanations of how a drug is
used; where it's found; how it affects the mind, body, and
behavior; the names and forms under which it is sold; its
addictive, lethal, and overdose potential; symptoms and signs of
abuse, and more. Clear language and straightforward organization
for ease of use. It covers the full range of drugs of abuse,
whether illegal (marijuana, heroin, cocaine, LSD, methamphetamine,
etc.) or legal (alcohol, prescription, tobacco, or herbal
remedies). East-to-carry, written for professional and
non-professional alike, it is a book that no one concerned about
drug use can afford to be without. Hazelden, 2000, www.hazeldon.org
ISBN 1-56838-555-2 Buy
This Book!
Ford, Judy, Blessed Expectations: Nine
Months of Wonder, Reflection & Sweet Anticipation. While
directed towards mothers, I found this a very informative book
that I wish I had read before my wife gave birth. From morning
sickness, stretch marks, getting support from family and friends,
food cravings and mood changes to decorating the nursery, this
book leads expectant mothers (and fathers) through the maze of
feelings, thoughts, fears and joys "as you discover within
yourself the divine love for yourself, your spouse and this fresh,
unborn soul." An emotional and spiritual handbook, it is full of
practical wisdom and insight on ways to overcome the blues, reach
out to your mate, reflect on motherhood and communicate with your
growing baby. It is an essential source of comfort, support and
encouragement. Conari, 1997 Buy
This Book!
Ford, Judy, Wonderful Ways to Love a
Teen...even when it seems impossible. A handbook of tools to
guide you in the art of relating to your teenager. Even if your
relationship seems beyond repair, you can follow these inspiring
steps to help rebuild a loving bond and how to guide your teen
toward a healthy adulthood while having fun in the process. Conari
Press, 1996
Friel, John & Linda, The 7 Worst Things
Parents Do. The authors offer you an enormously readable and
infinitely practical book that examines the seven most ineffective
and self-defeating behaviors that parents display again and again,
with suggestions on how you, the parent, can change those
behaviors immediately. Working from the idea that even small
changes can have big results, the authors give practical,
easy-to-implement steps that you can take to end self-defeating
behaviors and markedly improve the quality of your parenting.
Whether you are contemplating starting a family, have children who
have not yet entered school, are raising elementary-school
students, are struggling with rebellious teenagers, or are an
empty-nester wondering how you can be a better parent to your
grown children, you cannot afford not to read this book. Health
Communications, 1999 ISBN 1-55874-668-4 Buy
This Book
Gardere, Jeffrey, Smart Parenting for
African Americans: Helping your kids thrive in a
difficult world. Almost anyone can be a parent - but it takes
knowledge, effort, and caring to be a smart parent. Black children
face many challenges in today's world; in some ways it is even
harder growing up black today than it was a generation ago, when
optimism and expectations were higher. The author presents a hip,
savvy, realistic guide for today's parents raising black children.
He takes an honest look at some of the major threats to black
children-academic failure, drugs, gangs, irresponsible sex,
attraction to crime - and presents parents with the tools to deal
with them. The author stresses parent-child communication and the
important role parents play in fostering their kids' self-esteem.
His sensitive but no-nonsense approach will help parents be a
source of support, love and protection for their kids. Citadel
Press 1999
Giles, Fiona, Fresh Milk: The secret
life of breasts. A chapter includes a passage written by a man
in Australia who nursed his daughter until she was a year old.
While the man didn't attempt to produce milk, he found the
emotional connection he made with her very gratifying. Australian
scholar and feminist (Dick
for a Day) shows the personal is political (and vice
versa) in this collection of accounts with commentaries, a look at
the pleasures, difficulties and cultural attitudes about
breastfeeding. She intersperses comforting images of Madonna-like
mother-infant bonding with more disturbing and unexpected scenes:
pus- and blood-oozing nipples, the sexuality of breastfeeding,
"milkmaid" porn, nipples as technological fetish and a recipe for
breast milk ice cream. She impressively argues that our culture's
mixed message to women-breastfeed for the health of the child, but
don't practice that disgusting act in public-reveals a
squeamishness about the pure animality of breastfeeding, as well
as an unwillingness to come to terms with its inherent sexuality.
As she comments, "The stories in this book reach toward a wider,
and a wilder, space in which breastfeeding might more freely ebb
and flow." Drawn from historical research, conversations,
questionnaire responses and her own experience, some stories are
presented straight from their sources; others are combined and
fictionalized. The accompanying remarks are often as long as the
stories, and readers may get confused about the identity of the
narrator at any given moment. But this collection is sure to
provoke deep thought and strong reactions, both visceral and
emotional, from revulsion to longing, sometimes both at once.
Simon & Schuster, www.simonsays.com,
2003, ISBN 0743211472 
Ginott, Haim, Between Parent & Child: New
solutions to old problems. All parents want their children to
be happy and secure. No parent wakes up in the morning and
deliberately plans to make his child's life tense, fearful and
unhappy. But despite the best intentions, this is all too often
what happens. The book has an ambitious purpose: to make life
between parent and child less irritating and more rewarding. Every
day parents are confronted with problems that require specific
solutions. They are not helped by such advice as "Give your child
more love," "Show him more attention", "Offer him more
time." In fact, such pious generalities seem downright
offensive when the need is for immediate help. This book aims to
fulfill this need. It offers concrete suggestions for dealing with
daily situations and problems faced by all parents. It presents a
new approach to conversation with children, praise and criticism,
expression of anger, achievement of independence, and assumption
of responsibility in all matters of importance in a child's life.
MacMillan, 1968
Gordon, Thomas, P.E.T. in Action: New problems, insights
& solutions in PET. In this book, the author draws on
read-life experiences of P.E.T. graduates and reachers far beyond
the first book. Through in-depth interviews with parents who use
"Active Listening, "I-Messages", "No-Lose Conflict Resolution" and
his other original techniques for raising more responsible, loving
and happier children, the author has investigated what really
happens when parents apply P.E.T. in the home - and he tells it
like it is. The results are heartwarming, heartbreaking and, like
all life with kids, often unexpected, but never dull. Using
verbatim excerpts from his family studies, the author gets down to
cases. He analyzes precisely what goes right - and wrong - when
P.E.T. goes to work on the hang-ups, emotions, problems, and
resistance of real mothers, fathers, and youngsters ranging from
toddlers to rebellious adolescents. Here are practical answers and
solutions - an inside look at parent-child relationships that
breaks ground others have yet to touch. Wyden, 1976,
ISBN 0-671-22406-9
Green,
Jesse, The Velveteen Father: An unexpected journey to
parenthood. Being a parent was not a high priority - or even
much of a likelihood - for this acclaimed journalist and novelist.
Yet when the author, at the age of thirty-seven, fell in love with
a man who had recently adopted a baby boy, fatherhood suddenly
fell into his lap. Now, in this warm, humorous, deeply personal
book, he recounts the unexpected journey he and his partner
traveled together on the road to parenthood. In becoming the
father - or rather one of the fathers - of Erez, the author faced
challenges familiar to all parents, from the first bath to the
first tooth, along with a host of dilemmas unique to his
situation. As he discovered, even in blase New York City,
reactions to his unconventional family ranged from the funny to
the frightening, the unaccepting to the all-embracing. This book
is a moving record of the transformative effects parenthood can
have on people who least expect to become parents - and of how we
are repeatedly made anew by the love of children who need us.
Ballantine, www.randomhouse.com/BB/
2000 ISBN 0-345-43709-8 Buy
this book!
Groves, Laura Lee, I'm
Outnumbered: One mom's lessons in the lively art of raising
boys. Only a mom of all boys can really explain what life is
like when you are surrounded by men. From one "boy mom" to
another, this book offers sound advise and encouragement for every
mom ho has more than one son, even if there is a girl in the mix.
The author guides moms to see their role as proactive parents with
insights gleaned from her own experience, from other boy moms, and
from parenting experts. Laced with touching and humorous stories,
this practical manual will show boy moms how to escape the
expectation trap, handle sibling rivalry, foster leadership and
teamwork, maintain order, celebrate their individuality and much
more. A Christian perspective. Kregal Publications, 2010
ISBN 978-0-8254-2739-8 
Gruver, Nancy, How to Say It to
Girls: Communicating with your growing daughter. Talking
with your daughter can be difficult, but knowing the right words
can help. This book provides a wellspring of practical advice on
how to broach uncomfortable subjects, or simply open the lines of
communication with girls of all ages. This book offers concrete
words, phrases and sample dialogues to help parents figure out
what to say and how best to say it. Whether you're dealing with
toddlers or teens, you'll find useful information to help you
discuss relevant topics - from bedtime to body image, from
creativity to cliques. It includes Questions to get girls talking.
Words and phrases to use (and what to avoid saying). Ways to
improve girls' self-esteem. Tips on helping girls sort out their
emotions. Prentice Hall Press, www.penguin.com,
2004 ISBN 0-7352-0385-7 
Gurian, Michael and Kathy Stevens, The
Minds of Boys: Saving our sons from falling behind in school
and life. There's a crisis in our society that's been
developing for years. This crisis has captured the attention of
everyone from the parent at the playground to the teacher in your
neighborhood classroom. Too many of our boys and young men are
falling behind in school and life. Boys receive the majority of
the Ds and Fs given all students, and they create 90 percent of
classroom discipline problems. Eighty percent of all high school
dropouts are boys, millions of American boys are on Ritalin and
other drugs, three out of four learning-disabled students are
boys, and colleges are struggling to retain male students. This
startling trend is not only bad for boys but also for parents,
communities, and for humanity's future in general. In this
fascinating and pratical book, the authors show parents and
teachers how to help our boys overcome their current classroom
obstacles and failures. They offer clear-cut step-by-step guidance
to help boys fulfill themselves, use their intelligence, work with
their unique natural gifts, expand every bit of their potential,
and ultimately succeed in life. Jossey-Bass, www.josseybass.com,
2005, ISBN 0-7879-7761-6 
Gurian, Michael, Nurture the Nature: Understanding and
supporting your child's unique core personality. This book
argues that children are born with unique needs, strengths,
vulnerabilities, and learning styles. Drawing on twenty-five years
of academic research and clinical field study, the author provides
readers with stage-by-stage developmental tools for understanding
their child's one-of-a-kind genetic predisposition. Wiley,
www.josseybass.com, 2009
ISBN 978-0-470-32252-9 
Gurian, Michael, The Purpose of
Boys: Helping our sons find meaning, significance, and
direction in their lives. In this remarkable work, the author
presents a tool kit for parents who want to discover how to
inspire the ultimate fulfillment of their son's life. As he
explains, purpose is vital for the success and happiness of every
boy. Throughout the book, he shows how parents can help boys build
motivation, character, selflessness, meaningful and intimate
relationsihhps, a sense of responsibility to family and community,
pride in their own good work, and mental and physical health.
Based on the latest scientific research regarding how boys develop
neurologically, this book reveals what it takes to best support
boys and address their unique needs, weaknesses and strengths.
Jossey-Bass, 2009, www.josseybass.com, 2009,
ISBN 978-0-470-24337-4 
Gurian, Michael, Kathy Stevens and Peggy
Daniels, Successful Single-Sex Classrooms: A practical
guide to teaching boys & girls separately. From the
acclaimed Gurian Institute comes an essential resource for
teachers and administrators who want to establish single-gender
classes, and for anyone already working in schools - public,
private or parochial - with single-sex schools and classrooms.
This book, by three authorities on gender and learning, focus on
topics that are essential to creating, maintaining, and maximizing
single-sex innovations. Throughout the book are creative,
practical and easy-to-implement ideas for setting up boy-friendly
and girl-friendly classrooms. It will help to infuse a new level
of excitement for teachers in their work with girls and boys and
ensure greater learning for all students in the classroom. Wiley,
www.josseybass.com, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7879-9732-8 
Gurian, Michael, The
Wonder of Boys: What parents, mentors and educators can
do to shape boys into exceptional men. Parenting boys has
always held special challenges. Today, the decline of traditional
families, shifting values, the lure of gangs, the loss of positive
male role models, and the widespread depiction of irresponsible
sexuality can all lure boys away from the direction in which we
hope they will grow. In this insightful and practical book, the
author describes what boys need to become strong, responsible,
sensitive men. It offers a concrete plan that begins at home, but
extends deep into the community. The author has the courage to
advocate for moral and spiritual values, for teaching boys about
sex and love, and finally for a new male model of "husbandry," not
just of family, but also of the commuity and the earth.
Tarcher/Putnam, www.putnam.com
1996 ISBN 0-87477-8341-X Buy
this book!
Harris, Judith
Rich, The Nurture Assumption: Why children turn out
the way they do. How much credit do parents deserve when their
children turn out well? How much blame when they turn
out badly? The author has a message that will change
parents' lives, if they really buy the theory: The
belief that what makes children turn out the way they do, aside
from their genes, is the way their parents bring them up - is
nothing more than a cultural myth. This electrifying book explodes
some of our unquestioned beliefs about children and parents and
gives us a radically new view of childhood. The author looks with
a fresh eye at the real lives of real children to show that it is
what they experience outside the home, in the company of their
peers, that matters most. Parents don't socialize children;
children socialize children. The author explains why parents have
little power to determine the sort of people their children will
become. While claiming to bring together psychology, sociology,
anthropology, primatology and evolutionary biology to offer these
startling views of who we are and how we got that way, realize
that her basic training isn't in any of those fields but as a
writer of college textbooks. And also realize that, while she won
an award from the American Psychological Association, that's the
organization that recently released a theory in their
organization's publication that proports another theory - that
fathers have no real value. Click
here for additional commentary. Also, on October 6, 1999,
ABC 20/20 looked at "Attachment Parenting". While Harris was
on one side, many others felt it was a very positive way to
parent. The originators of the term, William and Martha Williams,
first talked about this concept in their Baby
Book, published in 1993. Touchstone Book, www.simonsays.com
1999 ISBN 0-684-85707-3 Don't
Buy This Book
Harris, Robie H., Illustrated by Michael
Emberley, It's So Amazing: A book about eggs, sperm,
birth, babies, and families. How does a baby begin? What
makes a baby female or male? How is a baby born? How is
a baby adopted? Children have lots of questions about
reproduction and babies - and about sex and sexuality too. This
book provides the fascinating answers - with fun, accurate,
comic-book-style artwork, and a clear, lively text that reflects
an elementary-school child's interest in science and how things
work. Throughout the book, a curious Bird and a squeamish Bee help
tell the amazing story of how a baby is made - from the
moment an egg and sperm join, through pregnancy, to birth. It also
addresses, in a reassuring and age-appropriate way, related topics
such as love, sex, gender, families, heterosexuality,
homosexuality, sexual abuse, and HIW and AIDS - while giving
children a healthy understanding of their bodies. Candlewick
Press, 1999. ISBN 0-7636-0051-2 Buy
This Book!
Hewlett, Sylvia Ann & Cornel West,
The War Against Parents. "This book tackles one of the most
important challenges facing America today - how to help children
and the parents who raise them. The authors detail some sobering
facts about how difficult it is to be a parent today and the
obstacles presented by the workplace, popular culture and laws.
The book concludes with a plan of action - a Parent's Bill of
Rights that seeks to unite parents behind an agenda that spans the
usual divides of race, class and gender. If you care about your
kids, or if you do not have kids but care about America's future,
read this book." Senator Bill Bradley. Endorsements by
Maya Angelou, Jonathan Kozol, Marian Wright Edelman and others.
Houghton Mifflin, 1998 ISBN 0-395-95797-4 Buy
This Book!
Kabat-Zinn, Myla & Jon, Everyday
Blessings: The inner work of mindful parenting. It
may be that the feeling of needing another kind of child to love
visits all of us as parents from time to time, when things feel
particularly bad or hopeless. Sometimes, that feeling can, if
unexamined, turn from a short-lived impulse into a steady current
of disappointment and a yearning for something we think we don't
have. But if we look again, we may find that, after all, we can
know and love well the children who are ours to love. This book
serves this journey even for those who already know that answer.
Hyperion 1997 ISBN 0-7868-8314-6 Buy
This Book!
Kaufman, Gershen & Lev Raphael, Stick Up for
Yourself: Every kid's guide to personal power and
positive self-esteem, Free Spirit, help4kids@freespirit.com,
1990
Kimball, Gayle, 50/50 Parenting: Sharing Family Rewards and
Responsibilities. The American family is changing. No longer
does the "typical" wife stay at home taking care of the children
while the husband goes to the office. Only around 10 percent of
American households currently fit this model, and men and women
are now seeking creating new roles in order to meet the financial,
social and emotional demands of family life in the 80s. This book
is a complete and sensitive guide to the techniques of equal
sharing for all families, whether they are a traditional couple, a
dual-career couple, divorced or a stepfamily. In its pages, we
hear a wide variety of families - including, for the first time,
the children themselves - candidly describe their own feelings and
experiences. Successful co-parenting, we learn, is not easy (when
was any kind of parenting easy?) It requires deliberate,
conscientious effort, planning,, self-examination, and above all,
a willingness to change old ways. But the payoff is really more
than worth it: When couples are willing to really share parental
responsibilities and rewards, they not only find their own lives
to be more fulfilling, but their children become more confident
and emotionally secure. Lexington Books, 1988
ISBN 0-669-14866-0
Kivel, Paul, Boys Will Be Men: Raising
our sons for courage, caring and community. Young people today
face a world of ever-increasing complexity, alienation and
violence. But our schools and other institutions seem largely
unable to provide them with the skills and understanding they need
to survive, to thrive, and to make a difference. The cycle of
violence and injustice that entraps them will not stop until boys
are raised to become powerful and loving participants in the
struggle to end it. Drawing on his decades of experience as a
social activist and his anti-violence work with men and teens, the
author helps parents and educators grapple with the complex forces
in our sons' lives, including racism, homophobia, pornography,
drugs, class, consumerism, sex and violence. He then provides
practical tools to empower boys to take the courageous step out of
the "act like a man" box to become allies to themselves, each
other, and all those who are vulnerable to violence and injustice
in our society. The end result gives the reader a powerful (if not
scewed - ed) vision of raising our sons to be the critically
thinking, socially-invested men we need for a multicultural and
democratic society. This is essential reading for all parents and
educators determined to provide a positive future for boys
everywhere. New Society Publishers, 1999 ISBN 0-86571-395-2
Buy
This Book
Kohl, Susan Isaacs, The Best Things Parents
Do. Keep this book someplace handy, you'll want to refer to it
again and again. More than 40 brief essays help us remember what's
really important. Each piece concludes with a few questions or an
idea to help you articulate the best things you do, so you can do
more of them. She also gently reminds us to notice times when
things aren't going well, when we're questioning ourselves, and
helps us build our resources for dealing with problems on a daily
basis. She offers simple things you can do for yourself and your
children - make a list of what worked, remember your own
childhood, write your children a letter for the future. The topic
index lets you easily find information on specific issues.
www.redwheelweiser.com
Conari Press, 2004, ISBN 1-57324-902-5 
Kuchenbecker, Shari Young, Raising
Winners: A parent's guide to helping kids succeed on and off
the playing field. Whether your child is a casual joiner or a
serious athlete, the playing field is a terrific place to learn
confidence, sportsmanship and other skills he or she will need to
succeed in life. This comprehensive guide from a sports
psychologist distills decades of sports research and the author's
own experiences as a "soccer mom, volleyball mom, Little League
mom, and basketball mom" to create an indispensable guide to
children's development through sports. Topics include how
to: Choose the right sport for kids - and when they should
start. Support a good coach and deal with a bad one. Keep kids
motivated. Help kids eat right. Screen an injury. Encourage girls
in sports. Deal with quitting, stalling, and burnout. Get athletic
scholarships. And more. Times Books, 2000, www.randomhouse.com
ISBN 0-8129-3167-X Buy
This Book
Lansky, Vicki, Practical Parenting Tips: Over 1,500
helpful hints for the first five years, Meadowbrook Press,
1992
Levin, Irene & Marvin Sussman, ed.,
Stepfamilies: History, research and policy. Examines
language use, laws, cultural stereotypes, media images and social
policies and practices to create an understanding of how
predominant views about stepfamilies and stepfamily members are
constructed within society. As the rats of divorce and remarriage
continue to increase, it is more important that even to overcome
nuclear family ideology and abandon the model of research that
Stepfamilies with non-stepfamilies. This book shows you how honor
and empowerment can be attained in new family structures and how
alternative kin networks can be just as healthy as the traditional
nuclear family unit. As this book examines the ability of
different societies to integrate different family forms into
mainstream notions of "family", you will realize the damaging
effects of treating stepfamilies as incomplete, undesirable
institutions. In fact, this book will challenge your notions of
family over and over again. Haworth Press www.haworth.com
1997 ISBN 0-7890-0338-4 Buy
This Book!
Levoy, Gregg, Callings: Finding and following an
authentic life, Three Rivers Press www.randomhouse.com,
1998
Lindquist, Carol Ummel, Happily Married
with Kids: It's not just a fairy tale, If you're like
most new parents, you've discovered that the arrival of a newborn
- and the subsequent changes in priorities and lifestle - can put
a tremendous strain on even the best of marriages. In fact,
research indicats that 67% of new parents complain they are having
less sex, less fun, and more arguments than before kids entered
the picture. Now, the author, a marriage counselor and happily
married mother of two, explores why parenthood can sometimes wreak
havoc on your dreams of a happily-ever-after - and reveals what
you can do to make your own marriage a solid, satisfying one.
Engaging, fun and practical, this indispensable guide offers a
realistic look at marriage - and at what you can do to protect
yours from the pitfalls of parenthood. Berkeley Publishing Group,
www.penguin.com, 2004
ISBN 0-425-9395-0 
Lozowick, Lee, Conscious Parenting.
This is not your run-of-the-mill parenting book. It has
commonsense appeal but offers no sweet consolation to those who
are unwilling to make their parenting responsibilities a top
priority in their lives. The author is a child advocate who has
worked with parents and children for the past twenty-five years.
So, anyone who cares for children needs to attend to the essential
message of this book - that the first two years are the most
crucial time in a child's education and development, and that
children learn to be healthy and whole by living with healthy,
whole adults. Hohm Press 800.381.2700, 1997 or www.booknotes.com/hohm
Luminare-Rosen, Carista, Parenting Begins
Before Conception: A guide to preparng body, mind and
spirit for you and your future child. An inspiring and
groundbreaking book, it shows prospective parents how they can lay
the foundations for a healthy and happy family life even before a
child is conceived and born. New research contends that prenatal
life and the birth experience are often profound determinants of
human personality and aptitude. Hundreds of university and
hospital studies conclude that unborn children see, hear and feel
in the womb. The author explores the universal forces underlying
conception and shows parents how they can optimize their child's
physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health by considering a
host of importnat issues well in advance. Weaving together modern
preconception and prenatal health knowledge with ancient wisdom,
the author guides parents through a unique holistic program
designed to prepare them for the myraid of changes, adjustments,
and joys that accompany the major transtion to parenthood. She
helps readers consider their own readiness for parenthood -
physically, psychologically, and spirituality - so that when the
child of their dreams arrives, they are fully prepared to welcome
this new being - body, mind, and soul. Healing Arts Press,
www.innertraditions.com
ISBN 0-89281-827-1 Buy
This Book!
MacGregor, Cynthia,
Night-Night: Settle-down activities for easy bedtimes.
Five more minutes, pleeeeeeeeease? How many times have you
been asked that questoin? Bedtime for many youngsters is a
time to avoid ("I don't want to go to bed!") or to fear ("There
are monsters under my bed!") The call for bedtime can become
a prompt for tremendous resistance. But it does not have to be
that way. This book presents a fun assortment of creative
solutions for getting kids to settle down at night. Storytime
activities, quiet games, and playful songs and rhymes will soothe
your child into sleepiness - and make Night-Night you best
friend at bedtime! Conari Press, 2001 ISBN 1-57324-754-5
Buy
this book!
MacKenzie, Robert J., Setting
Limits: How to raise responsible, independent children by
providing CLEAR boundaries. Do your children
misbehave? Do they repeatedly ignore or refuse your requests
for proper behavior? Are you constantly fluctuating between
permissive and authoritarian parenting, with little or no
success? Are you convinced there has to be a better
way? There is. This book will help you establish the
positive, respectful, and instructional groundwork your children
need for proper ethical and behavioral development. It
demonstrates proven techniques and procedures that not only
correct misbehavior but instill the cooperation and conduct you
want and expect from your children. Children need limits to guide
their development. With the author's expert guidance, you will
learn how to build and enforce the instructive boundaries
necessary for a happy and rewarding family life. Prima Publishing,
www.primapublishing.com
1998 ISBN 0-7615-1212-8 Buy
This Book!
Medhus, Elisa, Raising Children Who Think
for Themselves. This book offers a new approach to parenting
that has the power to reverse the trend of external direction in
our children and help parents bring up empathetic, self-confident,
moral, independent thinkers. Children who are externally directed
make decisions based on the peer groups, violent movies, sexually
explicit television shows, and rap lyrics that permeate their
lives. When children are self-directed, on the other hand, they
use their power of reason like a sword to cut through the jungle
of external influences. Fortunately, the author shows us, it is
never too late to foster in our children the ability to weigh
options, consider sources, and think for themselves. Beyond Words
Publishing, www.beyond
word.com, 2001, ISBN 1-58270-047-8 
Numeroff, Laura, What Grandpas Do
Best. Grandpas can do lots of things, like teach you how to
dance, show you some magic tricks, and play games with you. But
what do they do best? The answer is made perfectly clear in
this irressitible mini-celebration of grandpas and the wonderful
everyday things they do. Simon & Schuster, www.simonsayskids.com,
2001. ISBN 0-689-84701-7 Buy
This Book!
Owens, Robert Jr., Queer Kids: The
challenges and promise of lesbian, gay and bisexual youth.
This book is a lens of clarity that will help the average straight
adult - and maybe even the average gay adult - see things from a
kid's point of view. Its detail-oriented, well-wrought chapters
will provide you with literally hundreds of stories of young
people who are trying to define themselves sexually and
emotionally in a soceity of criss-crossing judgment, stereotyping,
anger, and expectation. Aimed at three target groups - counselors,
parents, and youth - this book introduces you to a variety of
interesting kids, offers you a look at the process of coming out,
and helps you grasp the experience of queer identification.
Harrington Park Press, 1998 ISBN 1-56023-929-8 Buy
This Book!
Packer, Alex, Parenting One Day at a Time, Using the Tools of
Recovery to Become Better Parents and Raise Better Kids. This
is the first book we've seen written specifically for parents who
are in recovery fully care for their children while also meeting
their own needs. Filled with moving, real-life examples and
keep-it-simple advice, it offers practical parenting advice using
the principles of twelve-step recovery programs covering every
facet of family relationships. Dell, 1996 ISBN 0-440-50520-8
Buy
this Book!
Paine, Roger, We Never Had Any Trouble Before: First aid
for parents of teenagers. The first parent who won't have some
trouble over a teenager has yet to be born. Most family problems
don't happen in problem families. They happen to parents who love
and care for their children and to kids who are fundamentally good
kids. Difficulty stems simply from surprise - the "it can't happen
here" mystique suddenly shattered. This book is really
"preventative medicine." The author shows the kinds of events
that bring on parent-teenager crises, how they can be prevented
and when, not caught in time, how they can be dealt with. He
covers the broad range of teenage experience: long hair, "weird"
clothes, dressing down instead of up, verbal misunderstandings,
nonverbal misunderstandings, sex, food, study, values. There are
chapters to familiarize parents with the inside of teenagers'
heads in the mid-1970's and the book does not duck the most
serious episodes: drugs, running away, attempted suicide. This
book combines preventive understanding with first aid and second
aid, and tells you where to go for further help if you need it.
Stein & Day, 1975, ISBN 0-8128-1833-4 Buy
this Book!
Pipher, Mary, Reviving Ophelia: Saving the selves of
adolescent girls. Why are more American adolescent girls prey
to depression, eating disorders, addictions and suicide attemps
than ever before? According to the author, a clinical
psychologist who has treated girls for more than twenty years, we
live in a look-obsessed, media-saturated, "girl-poisoning"
culture. Despite the advances of feminism, escalating levels of
sexism and vioolence - from undervalued intelligence to sexual
harassment in elementary school - cause girls to stifle their
creative spirit and natural impulses, which, ultimately, destroys
their self-esteem. Yet girls often blame themselves or their
families for this "problem with no name" instead of looking at the
world around them. Here, for the first time, are girls' unmuted
voices from the front lines of adolescence, personal and painfully
honest. By laying bare their harsh day-to-day reality, this book
issues a call to arms and offers parents compassion, strength, and
strageties with which to revive these Ophelias' lost sense of
self. Inportant book for father's to read! And share
appropriate parts with your adolescent daughter. Ballantine, 1995
ISBN 0-345-39282-5 Buy
this Book!
Prather, Hugh & Gayle, Spiritual
Parenting: A guide to understanding and nurturing
the heart of your child. The book is a guide to the naturally
intuitive and spiritual core of every child. It refutes the
current notions of the basic nature of children and teenagers,
while offering a radically new way to approach parenting. In the
words of the authors, counselor and ministers, this book reflects
the deep personal conviction that parenting is a spiritual path, a
form of worship. In their characteristically warm style, the
authors offer a book of principles that parents can use to
understand and protect their children at home, at school and in
the world. While one does not have to believe in God to understand
these principles, parents must approach child care as a spiritual
task. They offer ways to keep this essential focus amid the
bewildering complexities involved in guiding children toward
adulthood. With joy and a sense of humor, the authors offer
stories and anecdotes about their own children and the children of
families they have counseled to help today's parents break through
conflicting ideas and emotions and learn to enjoy their children
at all stages of their growth. Harmony Books, 1996
Price, Susan Crites
& Tom Price, The Working Parents Help
Book: Practical advice for dealing with the day-to-day
challenges of kids and careers. This is an expanded and
updated guide with interviews and expert advice from Marguerite
Kelly on family matters, Janet Bodnar on money matters, Joel Hyatt
on family legal matters, Sarah Edwards on home-based jobs, Judsen
Culbreth on workplace matters, and Dana Friedman on coping in the
workplace. Plus, there's a free disk of customizable checklists,
charts, write-in calendars, and more to help busy families manager
their fun and work time! Peterson's, www.petersons.com
1996
Radl, Shirley Rogers, Mother's Day is Over: The realities
& rewards of motherhood today. A few years ago Ann
Landers revealed that 70 percent of American mothers would not
have children if they could start over. The author explains why
that is so in this book, a courageous, totally unvarnished job
description of motherhood today. Newly revised and updated, she
tells her own story and the stories of hundreds of mothers she has
interviewed and corresponded with over fifteen years. Her message:
if you fell for the romantic image of motherhood - young glamorous
and blissful - as presented by advertisers and the media, only to
be let down by the reality, you are not alone. And if you are
contemplating motherhood, don't fall for the media image: read
this book instead. She loves her two children passionately, not
"neither love nor sudsier suds" she warns "can make you like the
responsibility, drudgery and boredom that all mothers know deep
down go with caring for their children. The unconditional love,
janitorial duties, financial support, always being "on call" -
these things never change. With warmth and humor, she reveals all
the darker feelings that must inevitably accompany an endlessly
demanding job, including that special guilt felt by mothers who
want a career or must work to survive. She would do it again. But
only when the realities of motherhood are understood and
confronted can the job be accepted for what it is, improved and
enjoyed for its own very special rewards. Arbor House, 1987
ISBN 0-87795-864-5 Buy
this book!
Ricketts, Percy, Parenting in the
Twenty-First Century: Simple solutions for your challenging
concerns. This book highlights some of the main challenges and
concerns faced by parents today. The author draws from his
experiences as a parent, an uncle, a psychotherapist and a
children's advocate. He has a wealth of experiences working with
children and families in many capacities. This book is intended as
a source of information for parents and other caregivers of
children. It is written in simple, direct language that is easy to
read. Each chapter is followed by a list of possible solutions to
each concern that is presented. Self-published. www.percy-ricketts.com,
2002 ISBN 0-595-21122-4 Buy
this book!
Rosemond, John,
Because I Said So: 366 insightful and
thought-provoking reflections of parenting and family life.
America's most widely read authority on child rearing and family
life is back this time with 366 doses of common sense to soothe
the savage parent. In this latest work, he covers every
conceivable aspect of parenting from allowances to zibling rivalry
with the same characteristic wit and practical wisdom that
millions of parents have cherished in his six previous books. This
day-to-day collection contains reflections for battle-worn
parents, one per dated page. True to form, the reflections are
often humorous, always common-sensical and always
thought-provoking. Taken together, they illuminate the complex web
that exists between child rearing, marriage and the family. The
author's philosophy harkens back to a simpler time when "because I
said so" was the only reason a parent ever needed to give a child.
Nothing has changed, says the author. Successful parenting still
calls for the same basic ingredients that worked for thousands of
previous generations. By following his old-fashioned, common sense
advice, parents can avoid raising children who are spoiled and
sassy, and deal effectively with daily problems as diverse as
bedwetting and boredom, territoriality and television. Read weekly
in over 100 newspapers nationwide, the author is a familiar,
trusted voice-of-reason to millions of Ameircan parents. Andrews
& McMeel, 1996
Sachs, Steven, Street Gang Awareness: A resource
guide for parents and professionals. What do blue bandannas,
champagne glasses, Los Angeles King Starter jackets, and
automobile air fresheners have in
common? Unfortunately, very few parents or educators
would recognize these as gang signs. From the inner cities to the
wealthiest suburbs, street gangs are a deadly problem in America -
and they are growing rapidly. This book demystifies gang behavior
by exposing its secret system of signs and symbols. It not only
helps readers determine if a child is involved in a gang, but also
offers a range of practical, effective strategies to help protect
children and communities from this terrifying menace. (Resources)
Fairview Press, 1997 ISBN 1-57749-035-5 Buy
this book!
Salt, J.S., Always Accept Me for Who I
Am: Instructions from teenagers to raising the perfect
parent. These truly wise parenting tips from the experts
themselves, teenagers ages 13-18, are reminders that kids - no
matter how grown up they seem - really just want guidance and
support from their parents. These meaningful suggestions are sure
to touch your heart, tickle your funny bone, and remind you that
you can give your kids the most important gift of all, your love.
Three Rivers Press, www.randomhouse.com
1999 ISBN 0-609-80395-6 Buy
This Book!
Schaefer, Charles, How to Talk to Your Kids about Really
Important Things: Specific questions & answers
& useful things to say. (Children 4-12) A child's
difficult questions about everyday life can often take parents by
surprise. This book helps parents find the words they need to talk
to their kids and answer their guestions. Drawing on clinical
practice, scholarly research, and parental experience, the
author's give down-to-earth advice that parnts will treasure. They
offer practical guidance on a wide range of life's experiences,
from family changes like moving to a new home, divorce and
remarriage to controversial subjects such as child abuse and AIDS.
Jossey-Bass, 1994 ISBN 1-55542-611-5 Buy
This Book!
Schwartz, Pepper, 201 Questions to Ask
Your Kids/201 Questions to Ask Your Parents.Do you have
trouble talking to your kids? Does a successful conversation with
your child consist of one-word responses or abrupt physical
acknowledgements? Does your son or daughter get upset at the
most innocent questions? Join the club. Unfortunately,
communicating well with kids is something every parent desires but
few achieve. We love our children, but talking to them in a
meaningful manner isn't always easy. The questions in this book
are designed to help. No matter what age or sex your children, no
matter how many children you have, no matter how good or bad your
current parent/child relationship, this simple "game" will get
your family talking more. And when you're talking - really talking
about emotions and fears and attitudes - you'll be learning about
each other as individuals and growing closer together as a group.
Avon Books, www.harpercollins.com 2000 ISBN 0-380-80525-1
Buy
This Book!
Sears, William
& Martha, Baby Book: Everything you need to know
about your baby - from birth to age two. This book presents a
parenting philosophy that takes into account contemporary
attitudes and realities. The authors call this parenting style
"attachment parenting" and explain how it assures each child the
attention he or she needs and nurtures the growth of the entire
family as well. Their recommendations and advice will help parents
develop strong bonds with their children - ultimately making
better babies and better families. This book covers every aspect
of infant care - from newborn bonding to toilet training. The
authors write clearly and authoritatively from their vast
professional and personal experience. Emphasizing the basic needs
of babies - eating, sleeping, development, health and comfort -
they provide specific, up-to-date information on issues of concern
to every new parent: Parent-infant attachment, feeding
baby right, soothing the fussy baby, getting baby to sleep,
reducing the risk of SIDS, understanding baby's development,
common illnesses, dealing with temper tantrums, toilet training,
toddler behavior, baby-proffing the home, and working and
parenting. Little, Brown & Co, 1993
ISBN 0-316-77905-9 Buy
This Book
Solar, Charlotte Del, Parents' Answer Book. A very simple
guidebook starting off with A Talk with Parents, reviewing
what is normal development, then goes into two short chapters: How
Your Son becomes a Man and How Your Daughter becomes a Woman, then
How to Discuss Sex with your Children and finally, one hundred
questions and answers. Parent & Child Institute,
1969
Spangler, David, Parent as Mystic,
Mystic as Parent. Full of stories about the author's
experiences with his own four children, and charged with his sharp
wit and warm sensibility, this is a book about the ordinary, the
blessings of the day-in and day-out of child rearing - a book that
will both captivate and inspire you. The word "parent" and
"mystic" may seem an odd combination, but most parents will tell
you that the birth of a child is spiritually significant - an
experience of connection with the divine. Mystical. And there is
magic in the parent-child relationship that relies on intuition,
total presence, and impulses that come from neither the mind nor
the body - impulses of the soul. We each seek our own version of
fulfillment through the daily practice of our system of beliefs.
This book is about the connection between the way we live and the
way we parent. About recognizing that the qualities we call forth
in ourselves every day to be better people are the same ones that
will make us better fathers. The author talks about these
qualities as resources, as tools that help us become engaged as
parents - which is the key. Because in order to raise creative,
honest, independent kids, we need to practice conscious parenting.
Riverhead Books www.penguinputnam.com
1998 ISBN 1-57322-106-6 Buy
This Book
Stahl, Philip, Parenting After Divorce:
A guide to resolving conflicts and meeting your children's
needs. "Mommy and Daddy don't love each other anymore. But we
both still love you very much." It's one of the most agonizing
declarations a parent can make. Yet every year the parents of one
million kids struggle to offset the damaging effects divorce can
have on the family's youngest members. How do you put aside your
differences for the sake of your children when you are angry or
hurt? How do you raise your kids to be healthy,
well-adjusted individuals despite ongoing strife with your former
spouse? This book focuses on understanding your
children's developmental needs and formulating an effective
parenting plan despite your problems with your former spouse.
Detailed topics include supporting your child's relationship with
the other parent, enhancing your own parent-child relationship,
and handling your feelings constructively. For special problems
such as the alienation of children, domestic violence and abuse,
and a difficult former spounse, the author outlines interventions
including mediation, parent education, custody evaluation and the
use of a co-parenting counselor. Pointing out that "adversaries
always lose," he proposes an alternative vision for courts
discouraging litigation as a means of solving family problems.
Impact Publishers, www.impactpublishers.com.
2000 ISBN 1-886230-26-9 Buy
this book!
Stuecker, Ric & Suze Rutherford,
Reviving the Wonder: 76 activities that touch the inner
spirit of youth. Once upon a time, when culture was whole, it
would initiate its youth into maturity using time-honored and
carefully worked out methods designed to pass on deep spiritual
truths and essential learning necessary for taking ones place as
an adult in the community. Today, at a time when culture is
framented almost beyond recognition (as part of this culture, we
see only dimly the extent of this damage), youth are left more or
less to their own devices to puzzle out the intricacies of this
labyrinthine mess and to figure out how to find a place for
themselves in its disintegrating fragments. The results of this
are only to obvious: depression, suicide, eating disorders,
substance abuse, fatal "accidents", school violence, sexual
assaults, apathy, despair, numbness, and rampant cynicism among
our adolescenes. Not having had the initiations, the adults in our
society have lately too often responded to these symptoms of
cultural breakdown with broken-down methods of their own,
including "zero tolerance" policies, as if saying "there will be
no xyz" is sufficient to make it go away; psychoactive
medications, which may be a sort of biochemical compensation for
living in a non-whole world; incarceration, where juveniles are
increasingly being treated like adults in courts of law; and
"higher standards" as if raising the bar will somehow make
everyone a little bit taller. This book stands for something
deeply redemptive in the midst of all these mischarted policies.
It is based upon the belief that only healthy adults working in a
safe and healing space with youth can help them cross the bridge
from childhood to maturity. This book is filled with activities,
ideas, tips, and inspiration, designed to provide such a space
within which healthy adults can help adolescents pick up the
pieces that society left on the floor when it "dropped the bag"
and failed its youngsters long ago.What is particularly refreshing
about this book is that it acknowleges the wonder of adolescence.
We're apt to forget this fact when we hear a litany of teenage
troubles broadcast in the media. But the teenage years are times
of great existential musings, aesthetic imaginings, intellectural
explorations, and spiritual yearnings. Research Press, www.researchpress.com,
2001, ISBN 0-87822-474-2 Buy
this book!
Steyer, James P., The Other Parent: The
inside story of the media's effect on our children. The
author's explosive investigation into how the media affects our
children is a groundbreaking book that will shock most parents.
Through songs on the radio, Internet access, television, and
movies, our kids are learning how to live in an adult world long
before they are ready. They are besieged on a daily basis by
images of sex, commercialism, and violence via such mainstream
programming as Dawson's Creek, films such as American Pie and
Matrix, and computer games such as Doom and Quake. The author
examines how we have allowed media to bombard our children's lives
and he offers practical advice on countering the incessant parade
of images that frighten, intrigue and influence America's kids:
This book is a powerful and provacative book about the media's
incredible impact on our families and our society. Atria Books,
2002, ISBN 0-7434-0582-X 
Taylor-Jones, Christi, Midlife Parenting: A guide to
havng & raising kids in your 30s, 40s & beyond.
The author faces midlife parenting wholistically with perspectives
based on sound research, personal testimonies and insightful
analysis. This book is must reading for those contemplating
midlife parenting. Veracity, 1993 ISBN 0-9636864-0-2
Buy
This Book!
Tofler, Ian, and Theresa Foy DiGeronimo,
Keeping Your Kids Out Front Without Kicking Them from
Behind: How to nurture high-achieving athletes, scholars, and
performing artists. Do you believe your child is gifted,
certainly more talented than the kid next door? Are you
positioning your young child for college honors, a professional
career, and well-deserved fame? If so, beware! You could
be unwittingly pushing your kid to fulfill your own dreams of
grandeur and success. Because a typical day may be drammed with
advanced academic assignments, after-school piano lewssons, art
classes, and soccer tournaments, many of these talented children
are careering off the fast track to success. Under so much
pressure and stress, they are crashing and burning before they
reach adolescence. How can you, as a parent of a truly gifted
child, walk the fine line between supporting your alented kid and
projecting your own needs and desires? Written with
wisdom and a healthy dose of wit, this practical guide shows how
to avoid the negative effects of "Achievement by Proxy Distortion"
(ABPD) and protect kids from being overscheduled, overworked, and
overpressured. Filled with a wealth of interviews and insight,
from noted experts in the field of child development, this
enlightening book includes directions fr evaluatig a child's
abilities. suggestions for monitoring a child's mental and
physical health, and information for understanding the financial
and emotional commitment needed to support the development of a
child's talent. Most important, the authors present guidelines
that wll help parents separate their own needs, ambitions, and
dreams from those of their children. Jossey-Bass
www.josseybass.com 2000 ISBN 0-7879-5223-0 Buy
this book!
Unell, Barbara, 20 Teachable Virtues: Practical ways
to pass on lessons of virtue and character to your children.
How can you be sure that you're teaching your children the lessons
of virtue that were passed on to you? Today's parents often feel
that they have too little time in their busy schedules to handle
such an important task. They're not even sure where to begin. But
this book demonstrates the simple ways that you can teach your
children to care about others - and about themselves. By using
everyday time together, however brief, you can pass on the lessons
of virtue that are most important to your family - today and for
generations to come. Perigee Books, 1995
West, Ken, The Shelbys Need Help! A
choose-your-own-solutions guidebook for parents. Adventures in
parenting, turning bloopers and outtakes into hit remakes. The
reviews are in, and Mom and Dad Shelby bombed. It was a simple
scene, just the parents and one of their tired, cranky,
misbehaving children. Mom and Dad acted like the first family of
melodrama, chewing up scenery with plenty of bluster and angst but
little effect. The only buzz this performance generated was among
neighbors who think the Shelbys need a parenting coach. It's a
rare parent who hasn't wanted to yell, "Cut! Could we start again,
please? We need a second chance!" Most of us wish
we could fine-tune our problem-solving talents by reworking tough
episodes with our children for a more satisfying outcome. It would
help to have a script that lets us test our method of relating to
the little scene-stealers sharing our family stage. This book
offers a practical spin on virtual reality in an engaging
scene-by-scene workbook format. Following each scenario are
choices leading to possible outcomes. Here's your cue to influence
the action: You play the role of the Shelby's counselor,
deciding how best to handle family conflicts. "It's a risky part,"
the author allows, "since being a parent is never as easy as
experts or childless relatives profess." "You are the expert when
it comes to your own children," the author asserts. "Listen to
professionals. But remember: No one knows your children as
well as you do. Follow your intuition. Remeber that we are all
learning as parents." Impact Publishers, www.impactpublishers.com
2000 ISBN 1-886230-16-1 Buy
This Book!
Weston, Carol, Girltalk: All the stuff your sister
never told you. No soapboxes, no sermons, no nonsense. This
book is the up-to-date down-to-earth source book for teen girls,
ages eleven to eighteen. Now completely updated for the 1990's, it
includes more than one hundred letters from teens and the full
scoop on body, friendship, love, sex, family, money, education,
smoking/drinking/drugs, quizzes and more. A valuable book for
adolescent girls and their fathersshould have their own copy, too.
Harper Perennial www.harpercollins.com
1992, ISBN 0-06-096618-1 Buy
This Book!
Wright, Marguerite, I'm Chocolate, You're
Vanilla: Raising healthy black and biracial childen in a
race-conscious world. This thought-provoking book draws on the
author's research into the ways children view race at different
stages of development. This guide for parents and teachers of
black children offers clear compelling, well-grounded advice on
self-esteem, shatters common myths about race, and reveals
practical ways adults can instill children with positive racial
identities. Jossey-Bass www.josseybass.com
1998 Buy
This Book!
Yelland, Anne, Mosby's Baby Instruction
Guide: How to take care of your baby, the first 18
months. This book gives you all the information you need to
look after your new baby, respond to his or her needs, and keep
your baby healthy and safe during the first 18 months of life. New
parents need quick, easy-to-use information to help them deal with
their baby's almost daily changes in habits, responses, and
skills. This guide is full of sound advice and practical
suggestions to help you make the most of this thrilling period of
your baby's life. Mosby, 1998 ISBN 17059-41295 Buy
This Book!
Zibners, Lara, If Your Kid Eats This Book,
Everything Will Still Be Okay: How to know if your child's
injury or illness is really an emergency. As an emergency room
pediatrician, the author has seen it all. She's cared for some of
the twenty-five million children in the United States who are
taken to the ER each year - and she knows that more than 50
percent of these visits may be unnecessary. In this book, she
shows parents when they may need to take action and when they may
be able to just go back to bed and call their doctor in the
morning. No more frantic, late-night searchers through the "what
to buy," "how to diaper," or "what to feed him" section s found in
other childcare books to find out if little Franny needs to go to
the ER. This book focuses on the essential questions, like how to
keep her from electrocuting herself in the first place. Not every
child has a pediatrician with specialized emergency room
experience living in the home. But this book just might be the
next best thing. Wellness Central, www.HachetteBookGroup.com,
2009, ISBN 978-0-446-50880-3 
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