Kids Development

One of the very best scientific predictors for how any child turns out - in terms of happiness, academic success, leadership skills, and meaningful relationships - is whether at least one adult in their life has consistently shown up for them. In an age of scheduling demands and digital distractions, showing up for your child might sound like a tall order. But as best-selling authors Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson reassuringly explain, it doesn’t take a lot of time, energy, or money. Instead, showing up means offering a quality of presence.

Christian parenting is hard work - and it's getting harder. Parents have a deep desire to pass on their faith, but fear that today's increasingly skeptical and hostile world will eventually lead their kids to reject the truth of Christianity. That leaves many parents feeling overwhelmed - uncertain of what they can do to help their children, given the difficulty and extent of the faith challenges they will face.

In Caring for Kids from Hard Places, Jayne and David Schooler discuss the reasons behind why children and teens sometimes exhibit potentially disruptive behavior. Together, they offer practical strategies on training, equipping and resourcing staff and volunteers to provide a responsive environment for children with behavioral challenges.

t’s no secret that addictive digital technologies like smartphones and social media apps are harming a generation of kids socially, mentally, and even physically. But a workable solution seems elusive. After all, don’t kids need phones, and won’t they be vulnerable or socially isolated without tech? Clare Morell, fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and director of its Technology and Human Flourishing Project, argues that the answer is no.

We've needlessly turned parenting into an unpleasant chore. Parents invest more time and money in their kids than ever, but the shocking lesson of twin and adoption research is that upbringing is much less important than genetics in the long run. These revelations have surprising implications for how we parent and how we spend time with our kids. The big lesson: Mold your kids less and enjoy your life more. Your kids will still turn out fine. Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids is a book of practical big ideas.

The problem is just that we haven’t been taught how to think in a way that sets us up for success in life. You don’t learn it in school, but what is it really that separates the successful people from the unsuccessful, the wealthy from the poor, the healthy from the unhealthy, and the happy from the unhappy? Is it their life circumstances or their actions? Sure, those things definitely play a role. But, perhaps, even more so, they are separated by the way they think.

Becoming a parent is more than just a biological process—it’s a lifelong commitment to sacrifice, service, and most importantly, love. It’s a challenge to get up every day and put your kids first. You will experience moments of heroic compassion and humiliating failure, sometimes within the same day. But you don’t have to do it alone. From Ryan Holiday, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash hit The Daily Stoic, The Daily Dad provides 366 timeless meditations on parenting in a few manageable paragraphs a day—useful for even the most sleep deprived new parent.

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

Most Christian parenting books are ready with exact practices every family should follow in order to raise obedient children. In this obedience-training model, faith is a wall, constructed brick by brick, as adults tell children what to believe and how to behave. But what if obedience is not the goal of Christian parenting? What if it’s our job as parents to instead help our kids get to know God and discover that God can be trusted? Woven can help children anchor to who God is and have faith practices that are rich, textured, and all their own.

The secret to raising the happiest kids in the world? Whatever it is, it's somewhere in the Netherlands. Kids in the US face lots of pressure to excel - often at the expense of happiness. But does it have to be this way? Not in the Netherlands! In The Happiest Kids in the World, expats Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison - both married to Dutchmen and bringing up their kids in the Netherlands - examine the unique environment that enables the Dutch to turn out such well-adjusted, independent children.

The number of anxious, depressed, hyperactive, and withdrawn children is staggering—and still growing! Millions have experienced bullying, violence (real or in the media), abuse, or sexual molestation. Many other kids have been traumatized from more “ordinary” ordeals such as terrifying medical procedures, accidents, loss, and divorce. Trauma-Proofing Your Kids sends a lifeline to parents who wonder how they can help their worried and troubled children now.

In Co-Parenting with a Toxic Ex, a nationally recognized parenting expert offers you a positive parenting approach to dealing with a hostile ex-spouse. You'll learn to avoid the most common mistakes of co-parenting, how to avoid "parental alienation syndrome", and effective techniques for talking to your children in a way that fosters an open and honest response. In addition, you'll learn how to protect your children from painful loyalty conflicts between you and your ex-spouse.

What makes Denmark the happiest country in the world - and how do Danish parents raise happy, confident, successful kids, year after year? This upbeat and practical book presents six essential principles, which spell out P-A-R-E-N-T. With illuminating examples and simple yet powerful advice, The Danish Way of Parenting will help parents from all walks of life raise the happiest, most well-adjusted kids in the world.

Mom and dad, your kids are created in God's image, not your own. Jill Savage and Kathy Koch will guide you in truly appreciating your kids. They will teach you how to study and become an expert on your children, because you cannot fully embrace them until you truly know them.

Parenting can be such an overwhelming job that it's easy to lose track of where you stand on some of the more controversial subjects at the playground (What if my kid likes to rough house - isn't this ok as long as no one gets hurt? And what if my kid just doesn't feel like sharing?). In this inspiring and enlightening book, Heather Shumaker describes her quest to nail down "the rules" to raising smart, sensitive, and self-sufficient kids.

Would you like to teach your kids mindfulness, but don't know where to start? Mindfulness meditation is the new tooth brushing. The benefits of this simple practice are beyond measures - happiness, focus, health, and emotional regulation is just the tip of the iceberg. More and more people are embracing this practice into their lives and their kid's lives. But how do you teach kids how to meditate? In this spectacular audiobook, you will enjoy more than 10 powerful guided meditations, especially suited for kids.

In Raising Conservative Kids in a Woke City, two moms living in the bluest of cities offer practical guidance, parenting strategies, and humorous commentary to help parents immunize their children against Woke infection. In whichever zip code or tax bracket you dwell, there’s hope for parents who seek to indoctrinate their kids into conservatism—that is, kids who understand historical, economic, and biological reality. This book coaches parents in the how, when, and who of teaching children to think about the world rightly.

Can you teach your child to be kind? This vital question is taking on a new urgency as our culture grows ever more abrasive and divided. A world-renowned developmental psychologist, Dr. Thomas Lickona has lead the character education movement in schools for 40 years and now he shares with parents the vital tools they need to create a culture of kindness at home. Kindness doesn’t stand on its own. It needs a supporting cast of other essential virtues - like self-control, good judgment, courage, and gratitude.

You don’t need to have the perfect relationship with your ex for the kids to be happy. Life can be better for you after separation or divorce. Some couples aren’t meant to stay together.

If you think your child is at risk for language difficulties, the last thing you want to do is wait around. But, it’s scary not to know how to approach such a delicate situation. And the truth is, your fear of the unknown can sometimes be worse than the situation itself. Luckily, the missing piece that will help you and your child overcome the challenges that a speech delay or disorder brings is closer than you think. Yasmin Akhtar, an SLT, is on a mission to help parents understand language development through the power of games.