Changing Families

Alan Kazdin's The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child is the gold standard for research-backed advice on being a better parent for difficult children. But what about children who are not "defiant"? Now, in The Everyday Parenting Toolkit, Dr. Kazdin addresses how parents can deal with the routine challenges that come with raising a child. Dr. Kazdin's methods are based on the most up-to-date research and are implemented in real-world ways.

Almost any parent you asked would tell you that they want their children to be happy, successful adults. But many of us forget (or never knew to begin with) that lasting personal joy is not necessarily found the way the world says it is - through reaching a certain socioeconomic status, having a certain job, buying a certain house, or having a certain amount in one's bank account. In fact, says Kristen Welch, author of Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, personal satisfaction comes not from grabbing onto things but from holding them with an open hand and, very often, giving them away.

Through the transformational, real-life journey of a suburban family in Tennessee, we get a view through the eyes of a loving father witnessing his once joyful and carefree daughter enduring a season of destructive rebellion. In the same neighborhood, a Rwandan family, who immigrated to America after escaping the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, seeks answers to questions about their home country. In a search for restoration and reconciliation, the two families find themselves halfway around the world in Murambi, Rwanda.

Written from her dual perspective as a psychologist and a mother, Lerner brings us deeply personal tales that run the gamut from the hilarious to the heart-wrenching. From birth or adoption to the empty nest, The Mother Dance teaches the basic lessons of motherhood: that we are not in control of what happens to our children, that most of what we worry about doesn't happen, and that our children will love us with all our imperfections if we can do the same for them.

Frank Senko had always known how to have a good time. But after a job change forced Frank to begin a long car commute every day, his daughter Jen noticed changes in his personality and beliefs. Long hours on the road listening to talk radio commentators like Rush Limbaugh sucked her father into a suspicion-laden worldview dominated by conspiracy theories, fake news, and rants about the "coastal elite" and "libtards" trying to destroy America.

We have so much happening. First up is our trip to Sweden. I'm not sure about this trip. The biggest issue is that Abby and Jordan will be missing. I hate that they have to stop traveling with us so much. But I understand, it was necessary. We all have an end date for the trips, and some of us have to stop before the rest of us do. Change is inevitable. The other big change this trip will be Tish joining us. I really hope that goes well. Getting a new member is always stressful. Will they be a mega fan? Will they be trustworthy? Or will they drive me up the wall? Anything is possible, and I...

Raising kids with hearts for Christ may be the hardest thing you ever try to do, but it's also the most important thing. Packed with funny and honest stories, biblical insight, and practical steps you can put into practice today, this hands-on parenting manual will encourage and equip every parent through any stage. Founders of a multi-campus church and family coaches with 30 years of experience, Dave and Ann share the hard-earned but easy-to-apply principles that ensure a strong parent-to-child relationship and a strong foundation for your child.

We all yearn to look back to find we lived a life of significance. But is it even possible anymore? Considering the amount of distraction and pressure that exists in society today, living a fulfilling life may seem like an unachievable dream. But it is not - not with the nine habits outlined in this book. New York Times best-selling author and widely known blogger Rachel Macy Stafford reveals nine habits that help you focus on investing in the most significant parts of your life.

From one of the country’s most recognizable journalists: How becoming a grandmother transforms a woman’s life. After four decades as a reporter, Lesley Stahl’s most vivid and transformative experience of her life was not covering the White House, interviewing heads of state, or researching stories at 60 Minutes. It was becoming a grandmother. She was hit with a jolt of joy so intense and unexpected, she wanted to “investigate” it - as though it were a news flash.

Survivor is a true story about a girl growing up not knowing how to defend herself against the abuse in her life. Her parents never seem to care about her. After escaping death, she runs into the arms of her soon-to-be husband arms who also never seems to care about her. Getting unintentionally pregnant saved her life because now she had to learn to fight back to defend her children. As if history repeated itself, years later it was her child who didn't want to live anymore. Now it was her job to keep him alive. This intense novel is about a family drama in a small town behind closed doors...

Embracing the idea that our children deserve our honesty, vulnerability, and leadership, you’ll discover a powerful framework for raising your family with integrity and confidence. Giving and receiving the trust, communication, cooperation, respect, and joy that every parent and child deserves ultimately allows our children to become the leaders our future so desperately needs.

Difficult brings to life the conflicts that arise for mothers who are confronted with the unexpected and burdensome dependencies of their adult children associated with mental illness, substance use, or chronic unemployment. Through real stories of mothers and their challenging adult children, this book offers accessible, provocative, and, at times, shocking illustrations of the excruciating maternal dilemma: Which takes precedence—the needs of the mother or of the distressed adult child? Difficult addresses a family situation which too many keep secret.

Melinda Long's How I Became a Pirate was a New York Times best-seller, a Book Sense Book of the Year, and a Parents' Choice Gold Award winner. In this humorous sequel, Jeremy Jacob is babysitting his infant sister when his old pirate friends come knocking. They want the treasure stashed in the backyard, but Jeremy will only help if the pirates take care of Bonney.

For the last ten years, Agnes Parsons’s biggest challenge has been juggling yoga classes and lunch dates. Her Santa Monica house staff takes care of everything, leaving Agnes to focus on her trophy-wife responsibilities: look perfect, adore her older husband, and wear terribly expensive (if uncomfortable) underwear. When her husband disappears, leaving Agnes and their infant daughter with no money, no home, and no staff, she is forced to move across the country, where she lands a job teaching at an all-boys boarding school in the Bronx.

In The Conceivable Future, authors Meghan Elizabeth Kallman and Josephine Ferorelli explore the ways in which the climate crisis is affecting our personal decisions about family planning, parenting, and political action. This book offers fresh, timely answers to questions such as: How do I decide to have a baby when there's the threat of environmental collapse? How do I parent a child in the middle of the climate crisis? What can I actually do to help stop global warming?

When a school project allows her to create her own video game, the hero is a girl who knows how to handle any situation—something Courtney struggles with in real life. Whether it’s learning to share a room with her stepsister or supporting her mom when she announces she’s running for mayor, Courtney’s blended family has to learn to work together differently. It’s a whole new game for Courtney, and she’s figuring out the rules as she goes.

Chronicling Andrew Solomon's stint on the barricades in Moscow in 1991, when he joined artists in resisting the coup whose failure ended the Soviet Union; his 2002 account of the rebirth of culture in Afghanistan following the fall of the Taliban; his insightful appraisal of a Myanmar steeped in contradictions as it slowly, fitfully pushes toward freedom; and many other stories of profound upheaval, this book provides a unique window onto the very idea of social change.

A 360-degree guide to pregnancy for first-time parents—demystify your doubts and make healthy choices for yourself and your baby. From the wild surprise that brings tears of joy to a gradual, somewhat anxious, realization that things are going to change, pregnancy is a roller-coaster of emotions, expectations, and the promise of a new life.

Until two years of age, Craig and Samantha’s son Connor was just like other kids - playful, verbal, and affectionate. Then everything changed. He stopped talking, displayed behavioral problems, and withdrew into his own world. The official diagnosis - autism. Faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, Craig and Samantha refused to believe a meaningful life for Connor was impossible. God confirmed their faith by revealing to Craig that Connor would one day touch the lives of thousands of people around the world.

One snowstorm. One Golden Retriever. One unforgettable week of tech glitches, talent shows, and digital mayhem. Seventh-grader Marie Lane thought a week of virtual school would be easy—until the internet crashed, the chat exploded, and her Golden Retriever, Max, became the most chaotic Zoom Bomber the class had ever seen. Thrown into a whirlwind of frozen screens, mystery guests, and surprise breakout room disasters, Marie and her classmates scramble to make their snowbound week count. With a mismatched team of brainiacs, artists, and accidental comedians (plus one extremely determined ...