Positive Parenting for Military Families | Mr. Dad

Christine Crockett Smith, author of 18 Master Values. Topic: Be the parent you wish you’d had. Issues: Love, positive attitude, work ethic, gratitude, curiosity, pride, humility, and many other important values. Jason Freedman, coauthor of The Dream Feed Method. Topic: Getting babies to sleep through the night by month 4, without crying it out. Issues: How to get your baby to sleep from dusk ’til dawn by four months by using top-up bottles (or feedings) and dream feedings (feedings given while the baby is mostly asleep).

Bethany L. Johnson and Margaret M. Quinlan, coauthors of You’re Doing it Wrong. Topic: Mothering, media, and medical expertise. Issues: The history of mothering advice in the media, from newspapers, magazines, doctors’ records, and personal papers from the 19th century to today’s websites, Facebook groups, and Instagram feeds; potential health crises from infertility treatment to “better babies” milestones; myths in preconception, pregnancy, and early motherhood. Amy Serin, author of The Stress Switch. Topic: The truth about stress and how to short-circuit it. Issues: What stress is, when it’s good, and when it’s not; coping with stress vs. curing it; how stress interferes with our lives (physical/health problems, memory and cognition problems, relationship problems, etc.)

Kathy Chlan, author of Maternally Challenged. Topic: How a mom learned to laugh and enjoy life from her special needs child Issues: Coming to terms with having a child with special needs; life will throw many curveballs, so you’d better get a bigger bat; laughter will be your best friend; lower your expectations for perfection. Darria Long Gillespie, author of Mom Hacks. Topic: Science-based shortcuts to reclaim your body, raise awesome kids and be unstoppable. Issues: Building blocks of a healthy diet; what not to eat; making good nutrition easier; the basics of exercise; finding the time for exercise; making it fun; getting motivated and building the habit; sleep; sleep environment; resilience; overcoming guilt and self-doubt.

Elaine Fogel Schneider, co-author of Confidence and Joy. Topic: Success strategies for kids with learning differences. Issues: What learning differences are what they’re not; how differences are different from disabilities; what signs to look for that reveal a learning difference; strategies to employ for promoting a child’s confidence and joy; how to build an advocacy team for the child. Lisa Damour, author of Under Pressure. Topic: Confronting the epidemic of stress and anxiety in girls. Issues: Coming to terms with stress and anxiety; girls at home; girls among girls; girls among boys; girls at school, girls in the culture

Vicki Hoefle, author of The Straight Talk on Parenting. Topic: A no-nonsense approach to growing a grown-up. Issues: Creating a blueprint of where you want to be; understanding that parenting is more about on-the job training and less about being perfect; bedtime bedlam, morning meltdowns; sibling squabbles; sass and backtalk; the trouble with tech. Ron Lieber, author of The Opposite of Spoiled. Topic: Raising kids who are grounded, generous, and smart about money. Issues: Why we need to talk about money; how to start the conversation; the allowance debate; the smartest ways for kids to spend; how to talk about giving; why kids should work; how much is enough?

Bryn Collins, author of The Toxic Parents Survival Guide. Topic: Recognizing, understanding, and freeing yourself from difficult relationships. Issues: The importance of emotions in parenting; what is emotional unavailability; inconsistent parents; parents who make you feel like you’re not good enough; guilt, resentment, and regrets; what emotionally available parents look (and act) like. Emily Guy Birken, author of End Financial Stress Now. Topic: Immediate steps you can take to improve your financial outlook. Issues: Redefining money; economic reasons why we struggle with money; psychological reasons we struggle with money; the difference between reducing financial stress and reducing financial problems; achieving a stress-free financial life.

Norman Doidge, author of The Brain’s Way of Healing. Topic: Remarkable discoveries from the frontiers of neuroplasticity. Issues: What is neuroplasticity and how does it work? the stages of neuroplastic healing; rewiring the brain with light; healing serious brain problems through movement; the special connection between music and the brain; how the brain rebalances itself. Robert Melillo, author of Disconnected Kids. Topic: Balancing the brains of kids with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurological disorders. Issues: How the developing mind is wired; what causes left- and right-brain disconnect; identifying left- or right-brain deficiency; (re)training the brain through physical stimulation.

Chrissie Lee Kahan and Aaron Michael Kahan, coauthors of Navigating the Road of Infertility. Topic: An honest and poignant account of one couple’s struggle to start a family. Issues: The need for more open discussion of infertility; how IVF, artificial insemination, failed adoption, and other setbacks affect couples; coping with those setbacks; and more. Julie King, co-author of How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen. Topic: Strategies and stories that will help you improve communication with your preschooler. Issues: The importance of recognizing and acknowledging kids’ feelings—and how to do it; tools for engaging cooperation, resolving conflicts, and handling discipline; handling your own feelings—including anger.

Alma Gottlieb, co-author of A World of Babies. Topic: Differing childcare styles in eight non-US societies. Issues: Parenting around the world in the 21st century; differences between US styles and those in other countries; challenges faced by parents in traditional societies, welfare states, and war-torn areas. Jennifer Lehr, author of ParentSpeak. Topic: What’s wrong with how we talk to our children—and what to say instead. Issues: Despite our best intentions, a lot of things we tell our kids does more harm than good; how to avoid words and phrases that manipulate, objectify, micro-manage, distress, invalidate, and threaten.

Regina Pally, author of The Reflective Parent. Topic: How to do less and relate more with your kids. Issues: How the brain is wired for empathy, reflection, nurturing, and attachment; learning to trust yourself and your instincts. Genevieve Shaw Brown, author of The Happiest Mommy You Know. Topic: Why putting your kids first is the last thing you should do. Issues: Feed yourself as you want to feed your kids; make time for your own friends; get a healthy night’s sleep; don’t let your style take a backseat to your child’s wardrobe; treat your spouse as kindly as you treat your kids; take yourself to the doctor; exercise even if you don’t have the time, and more.

Bonnie J. Rough, author of Beyond Birds and Bees. Topic: A new message about sex, love, and equality. Issues: Comparing the differences between the ways parents in Holland and the US discuss sex and related topics with their children. When is the right time to talk about sex, gender, love, and relationships? Christa Santangelo, author of A New Theory of Teenagers. Topic: Transformational strategies to empower you and your teen. Issues: Endure emotions; look at the bigger picture; grasp less, let go more; discover your purpose in parenting; heal yourself; work on your own issues.

Linda Davidson, Co-Founder and President and Gretchen Hitchner, Director of Communications, Our Military Kids. @OurMilitaryKids Topic: Grants to military children with a parent who is deployed or recovering. Issues: This wonderful nonprofit supports children, ages 5-12th grade, of deployed National Guard and Reserve servicemembers and children of wounded warriors from all service branches. Grants pay for participation in activities that help children cope with stress and anxiety while their parents are recovering or absent. Wendy Mogel, author of Voice Lessons for Parents. @drwendymogel Topic: What to say, how to say it, and when to listen. Issues: How your vocal style affects your parenting effectiveness; how a shift in that style can lead to children who are calmer, listen more attentively, and communicate with more warmth, respect, and sincerity; best ways to communicate with children of all ages.

Darin Ingels, author of The Lyme Solution. @lymeexpertND – Instagram: dariningelsnd Topic: How to fight Lyme’s inflammatory auto-immune response and beat the disease. Issues: A five-part plan to: fortify your gut health and restore the immune system; follow a diet that increases immunity and reduces inflammation; thwart and target an active infection; identify hidden toxins that worsen Lyme symptoms; improve your lifestyle to stimulate and perpetuate healing. Liza Hanks, author of Every Californian’s Guide to Estate Planning. @NoloLaw – Instagram: nololaw Topic: What you need to know about wills, trusts, and everything else—regardless of where you live. Issues: What’s in an estate plan and why you need one; wills; living trusts; choosing a guardian for minor children; leaving money to children; estate planning for blended families; death and taxes; naming beneficiaries for retirement accounts and life insurance; finding a lawyer; keeping your plan up to date.

Deborah Reber, author of Differently Wired. @TiltParenting Topic: Raising an exceptional child in a conventional world. Issues: Letting go of your impossible expectations for who you “should” be as a parent; seeking out like-minded parents; becoming fluent in your child’s language; creating a world where your child can be secure; parenting from a place of possibility instead of fear; letting your children be on their own time line. Jena Pincott, author of Wits, Guts, Grit. @jenapincott Topic: All-natural biohacks for raising smart, resilient kids. Issues: What if we could identify microbes in our gut that correlate with stress resilience? What if memory and learning and overall wellbeing could improve after eating more of certain foods or minerals? What if merely smelling sweat before completing an anxiety-inducing task could improve your performance? Meet a woman who tested these and other hypotheses on her own children.

Ashley Broadway-Mack, founding board member and president, American Military Partner Association. @LGBTMilPartners Topic: Spouses and family of LGBTQ servicemembers. Issues: The American Military Partner Association is the nation’s largest resource and support network for the partners, spouses, families, and allies of America’s LGBTQ servicemembers and veterans. AMPA has over 50,000 members and supporters and leads the nation in education, advocacy, and support for our modern military families. Barbara Oakley, author of Learning How to Learn. @barbaraoakley Topic: How to succeed in school without spending all your time studying. Issues: The problem with passion; why trying too hard can make things worse; using a tomato to beat procrastination; learning while you sleep and how to wake up smarter; school bags, lockers, and attention; tricks to build memory; learning alone vs in groups; should you listen to music while you’re studying? how your worst traits can be your best.