Positive Parenting for Military Families | Mr. Dad

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.

Chantel Olson, author of Homefront Warriors. @chantellouise16 Topic: Not every warrior wears a uniform. Issues: The many lessons learned from military spouses during their spouse’s deployment; how military spouses can get support during deployment; special concerns of children with a deployed parent; why it’s important to honor homefront warriors for their service. KJ Del’Antonia, author of How to Be a Happier Parent. @KJDellAntonia Topic: Raising a family, having a life, and loving almost every minute. Issues: Why you child should do chores; siblings—bringing fun and taking it away; sports and activities—fun except when they’re not; homework; screens are fun but limiting them isn’t; discipline and why it sometimes hurts parents more than the kids; finding time for food, fun, and family time.

John Pray, President and CEO of Operation Homefront. @Op_Homefront – IG: operationhomefront Topic: Building strong, stable, and secure military families so they can thrive—not simply struggle to get by—in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Issues: This non-profit has served more than 40,000 military families and provided nearly $25 million in relief (for basic necessities, rent/mortgage); programs include housing, educational scholarships, parent support, school supplies, and more. Heather Miller, author of Prime Time Parenting. @PrimeTimeBook – Instagram: primetimeparenting Topic: The two-hour-a-day secret to raising great kids. Issues: The importance of reducing screen time—for kids and adults; setting up your two hours of focused parenting; homework, dinner, more homework, and off to bed; how prime time parenting will give you more “me” time; other benefits (physical, mental, and emotional).

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.

Lucie LeBlanc, author of Ordinary Parents Raising Extraordinary Children. Topic: Unlocking your child’s inner strength to full self-expression. Issues: Understanding the human mind; programming your child for success; the six creative faculties (perception, memory, reason, will power, intuition, and imagination); common parental errors; much more. Mark Borg, author of Don’t Be a Dick. Topic: Change yourself, change your world. Issues: What does it mean to be a dick and why are some people (including ourselves) that way? The difference between internal dicks and external dicks; how to quit being a dick—and get others to quit too; how to avoid backsliding; lessons for parents; much more

James Knipp, author of Stuff Every Grandfather Should Know. Topic: Making sense of the grandfather years. Issues: When to give advice and how to take it; (re)learning how to be a parent; going from father to grandfather; building a relationship with your grandchild; things to do with the grandkids; technology and social media; grandparenting through your child’s divorce; much more. Liz Frazier, author of Beyond Piggy Banks and Lemonade Stands. Topic: How to teach young kids about finance. Issues: The “right” to talk with kids about money; teaching about money in an increasingly cashless society; allowances; what is money, how do we get it, and what do we do with it? Advanced topics such as interest, lending, the economy, and more.

Dorette Noorhasan, author of Miracle Baby. Topic: A fertility doctor’s fight for motherhood. Issues: Surrogacy, insurance, and overcoming every possible obstacle on the way to becoming a mother. Leslie Schrock, author of Bumpin’. Topic: Navigating the journey from conception through birth—and beyond. Issues: Getting your bodies and your lives ready; drafting your healthcare dream team; pregnancy issues and myths (such as that having an epidural or a c-section is “failure”); difference between a birth plan and going overboard; what you don’t know about having a baby; the importance of communication between partners; dad’s important role; much more.

Kerry Goyette, author of The Non-Obvious Guide to Emotional Intelligence. Topic: Understanding emotional intelligence, empathy, and learning to put them to use. Issues: What is empathy and where does it start? What is emotional intelligence? How our brain perceives fear and threats; how courage drives emotional intelligence; how to recognize your environment; difference between problems and dilemmas; mental agility and how to build it; how we derail ourselves from success; how to motivate your team and your family; intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation; much more. Kelli Harding, author of The Rabbit Effect. Topic: Live longer, happier, and healthier with the groundbreaking science of kindness. Issues: The hidden factors of health (intimate relationships, social ties, work, finding your purpose, hobbies and recreation; fairness; compassion, the environment you live in, and more); essentials of health (mind-body link, trust, community health, and more); what kindness is and the ripple effects it creates.

Julia Bueno, author of The Brink of Being. Topic: Talking about Miscarriage. Issues: What is miscarriage and how common is it? Early miscarriage vs. late; recurrent miscarriage; what to say—and not to say—to someone who’s had a miscarriage; how society deals (or doesn’t deal) with miscarriage; the effects of miscarriage on women; effects of miscarriage on men and other family members. Leah Plunkett, author of Sharenthood. Topic: Why we should think before we talk about our kids online. Issues: Mistakes adults make with children’s private information; implications of adults’ excessive digital sharing; risks of sharenting; commercial sharenting (using your private experiences to make money); the dangers of children sharing info about their parents; much more.

Ellen Notbohm, author of Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew. Topic: Giving voice to autistic children’s inner thoughts and feelings, whether verbal or non-verbal. Issues: I’m a whole child; my senses are out of sync; the difference between “won’t” and “can’t”; I interpret language literally; I try to communicate in many ways; I’m visually oriented; focus on what I can do rather than on what I can’t; help me be social; identify what triggers my meltdowns; love me without “if.” Gail Gross, author of How to Build Your Baby’s Brain. Topic: Using new gene science to raise a smart, secure, and successful child, Issues: The science behind our secret parental power; turning your child’s shortcomings to strengths; success through trust; the curse of overstimulation; turning your home into a living lab; boosting the neurological health of your unborn child; much more.

Adnan Mir, MD., External Marketing Committee Chair for the Society for Pediatric Dermatology. Topic: Skin cancer and other skin conditions in children. Issues: Who is at increased risk for skin cancer? What are the types of skin cancer? How can you find skin cancer or suspicious spots on the skin? How are skin cancers treated? How can you prevent sun damage and skin cancer? Year-round sunscreen use; much more. James Gordon, author of The Transformation. Topic: Discovering wholeness and healing after trauma. Issues: What is trauma? The biology of trauma; befriending your body; breathing, movement, laughter, gratitude, forgiveness, and other proven ways to better cope with trauma;

Mary Dell Harrington, coauthor of Grown & Flown. Topic: How to support your teen, stay close as a family, and raise independent adults. Issues: Understanding the many issues that children face, including home life, mental and physical health, love and sex; academics, friendships, college admissions; preparing our kids—and ourselves—for separating Kim Brooks, author of Small Animals. Topic: Parenthood in the age of fear. Issues: Why so many of us are so afraid for our children—despite the fact that the world isn’t any more dangerous today than it was when we were kids; the negative effects of the culture of fear; what we can do to change things for the better.