Positive Parenting for Military Families | Mr. Dad

Diane Ehrensaft, author of The Gender Creative Child. Topic: Nurturing and supporting children who live outside gender boxes. Issues: The difference between gender and sex; does gender have to be binary (male or female)? supporting a gender creative child; when parents may need to get help from professionals. Stephen Hecht, coauthor of Nonflict. Topic: The art of everyday peacemaking. Issues: Accepting and understanding conflict as a natural part of life and opportunity; how to use the Nonflict model for internal conflicts, two-person conflicts, and conflicts on a larger scale; developing a win-win mindset.

Asha Dornfest, author of Parent Hacks. Topic: Genius shortcuts for life with kids. Issues: The little-known advantages of cabbage leaves; using ankle weights to keep a stroller from tipping; hiding your valuables in a (clean) diaper; and more than 100 more real-world, field-tested strategies from parents. Michelle Maidenberg, author of Free Your Child from Overeating. Topic: Mind-body strategies for lifelong health. Issues: Identify triggers, cravings, and self-sabotaging patterns; defining your child’s values and using them to find the motivation to change; setting realistic food and exercise goals; the role of thinking in nutrition; using mindfulness to help your child achieve his or her goals.

Catherine Price, author of Vitamania. Topic: How vitamins revolutionized the way we think about food. Issues: How vitamins were discovered and named; the surprising story of America’s blind devotion to vitamins at the expense of our health; why so much we “know” about vitamins is actually wrong; what vitamins actually do (and don’t do). Rupert Isaacson, author of The Long Ride Home. Topic: The extraordinary journey of healing that changed a child’s life. Issues: The remarkable story of a boy, a horse, overcoming autism, and a revolutionary approach that has changed the life of thousands of children and their family.

Tara Haelle, coauthor of The Informed Parent. Topic: The science of parenting in your child’s first four years. Issues: The importance of looking at the science before acting on advice you get from a friend (or the Internet); the truth about soft cheese, cat poop, alcohol, vaccines, SIDS, bed sharing, pacifiers, and much more. Tim Jones, author of You’re Grounded for Life. Topic: Misguided parenting strategies that sounded good at the time. Issues: The trials and tribulations of parents with kids of all ages; the daunting task of starting, raising, and surviving a family; innovative parenting strategies that have produced hilariously disastrous results.

Janet Lintala, author of The Un-Prescription for Autism. Topic: A natural approach for a calmer, happier, and more focused child. Issues: The connection between autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and gastro-intestinal problems; the importance of enzymes and probiotics; the benefits of a complete GI protocol. Amy Tuteur, author of Push Back. Topic: Guilt in the age of natural parenting. Issues: Why there’s no reason to feel guilty about childbirth interventions (epidurals, fetal monitoring, c-sections, etc.)—in fact, childbirth is now safer for mothers and babies because of those interventions; why there’s no reason to feel guilty about epidurals (there’s no such thing as “good pain”); the truth about breastfeeding and the benefits.

Deborah Heisz, author of Live Happy. Topic: Ten practices for choosing joy. Issues: The truth about happiness; the science behind having a positive attitude, building positive connections and relationships, nurturing creativity, mindfulness, resilience, gratitude, giving back, and even spirituality. Stephen Segal and Valya Dudycz Lupescu, coauthors of Geek Parenting. Topic: What Joffrey, Jor-El, Maleficent, and the McFlys teach us about raising a family. Issues: Lessons from (mostly fictional) pop culture icons about creating a positive parenting environment, keeping communications channels open, keeping kids safe, helping kids grow and evolve into advanced beings, and preparing them for a life of adventures.

Elizabeth Green, author of Build a Better Teacher. Topic: How teaching works and how to teach it to everyone. Issues: Everyone agrees that a great teacher can have an enormous impact. But is it simply a matter of natural charisma, or can it be taught to millions of people who make up the American teaching workforce? Joshua Straub, author of Safe House. Topic: How emotional safety is the key to raising kids who live, love, and lead well. Issues: Why emotional safety matters; understanding your parenting “story” and how it affects you and your child; building a safe house with four walls: explore, protect, grace, and truth; the science of emotional safety.

Daniel Siegel, co-author of The Yes Brain. Topic: How to cultivate courage, curiosity, and resilience in your child. Issues: Defining the Yes Brain and why it’s so important; The four fundamentals of the Yes Brain and how to strengthen them; the key to knowing when kids need a gentle push out of their comfort zone vs. needing the cushion of safety and familiarity; strategies for navigating away from negative behavior and expanding your child’s capacity for positivity. Terri Apter, author of Passing Judgment. Topic: Praise and blame in everyday life. Issues: The important role that praise and blame play in relationships (whether between adults or between parents and children); the “magic ratio” or praise to blame and how it correlates to a couple’s probability of staying together; the damage done by insincere praise; how social media has made it easier to gossip and blame others.

2/2/18 Naomi Schaefer Riley, author of Be the Parent, Please. Topic: Stop banning seesaws and start banning SnapChat. Issues: What we don’t know can hurt us; why babies aren’t meant to be Einstein; are computers and tablets any better for kids than TV? the real price of Internet access; how technology is hurting American education; how less technology can lead to more independence. Laurie Wolk, author of Girls Just Want to Have Likes. Topic: How to raise confident girls in the face of social media madness. Issues: Social media basics; the importance of boundaries; creating family connections; building leadership skills; healing and role modeling; four styles of communication; embracing a growth mindset; making space for change; understanding what your daughter isn’t saying.

Laurence Westreich, author of A Parent’s Guide to Teen Addiction. Topic: Advice from a professional on everything you need to know about teen addiction. Issues: How to recognize a problem; what you need to know about the substances teens commonly use; how to find good one-on-one addiction therapy; how to encourage a teen to enter an outpatient program or inpatient facility; how to line up after care treatment; “tough talk” dialogues parents can tailor to their situation. Nadine Burke Harris, author of The Deepest Well. Topic: Healing the long-term effects of childhood adversity. Issues: ACEs (adverse childhood experiences)—what they are and the profound effects they have on children’s mental and physical health; the types of children that are at high risk of suffering from ACEs; how doctors, caregivers, and others can mitigate the impact of ACEs and give kids a better chance to grow into healthy adults.

Allen Klein, author of Secrets Kids Know. Topic: Enriching your life by viewing it through the eyes of a child. Issues: 18 ways to think like a child, including: be amazed, be bold, be curious, be joyful, be optimistic, be a napper, be a risk taker, be wise, and more. Ken Keis, author of Quest for Purpose. Topic: A self-discovery process to find and live your purpose. Issues: Why meaning comes before purpose; the mindset required to succeed; identifying what you really value; learning what excites and interests you; your core passions; and many more steps that will help you live your purpose.

Jim Baumann, author of Common Sense for Our Common Good. Topic: A parents’ guide to making our kids’ school great. Issues: Four components of solving the good school puzzle: effective educators, engaged parents, committed community, and successful student learners; what we as parents and community members can do improve our schools so our children can have the best education possible. Thomas Armstrong, author of The Myth of the ADHD Child. Topic: How to improve your child’s behavior and attention span without drugs, labels, or coersion. Issues: Letting your child fidget or introducing wiggle furniture; teaching self-monitoring and self-regulation skills; reassessing diet to remove additives, allergens, and junk; alternative therapies such as music, aromas, and art; making time for play.

Ana Homayoun, author of Social Media Wellness. Topic: Helping tweens and teens thrive in an unbalanced digital world. Issues: The effect of social media on empathy (hint: it decreases it); what parents need to do to understand our children’s digital world; having tough conversations about social media; suggestions on how to help students manage distractions, focus and prioritize, improve time management, decrease stress, and build empathy. Adam Price, author of He’s Not Lazy. Topic: Empowering your son to believe in himself. Issues: Why do boys spend so much time playing video games or glued to their phones? Is it laziness or something worse? The societal and other obstacles that keep boys from engaging; how to set expectations and empower your son to accept responsibility for his own future; become your son’s ally as he discovers greater self-confidence and becomes more self-reliant.

Faith Collins, author of Joyful Toddlers and Preschoolers. Topic: Create a life that you and your child both love. Issues: The link between connection and cooperation; maintaining connection through tantrums and meltdowns; raising children you enjoy being around; creating a life that meet’s everyone’s needs. Suzanne Bouffard, author of The Most Important Year. Topic: Pre-kindergarten and the future of our children. Issues: What do our littlest learners need in the earliest years of school? How do we ensure that they all have access to it? What teachers need to succeed; benefits to children of going through pre-k programs (better language, literacy, problem-solving, and math skills, better self-control, and much more).

Emma Johnson, author of The Kickass Single Mom. Topic: Be financially independent, discover your sexiest self, and raise fabulous, happy children. Issues: Dismissing single-mom guilt; how to navigate dating and introduce children to new love interests; avoid the biggest mistakes single moms make when it comes to saving for college and retirement; the importance of estate planning; how to co-parent with a reluctant or absentee ex. Devorah Blachor, author of The Feminist’s Guide to Raising a Little Princess. Topic: How to raise a girl who’s authentic, joyful, and fearless, even if she refuses to wear anything but a pink tutu. Issues: What is a princess? Disney’s role in creating the princess crisis; why do so many girls gravitate towards pink? How parents can embrace their children’s obsession while also helping them reject the sexist messages that often accompany princess stories.