This research-based book covers the core components of modern parenting and child development across multi-ethnic and cross-cultural contexts in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North and South America, with a focus on the United States. Parenting and Child Development: Across Ethnicity and Culture is based on a cohesive framework that links physical, psychological, social, cognitive, and emotional aspects of children's lives to their experiences of parental behavior. This book covers the fundamentals of parent-child relationships, including the theoretical perspective of parenting, positive and negative parenting behaviors, and changing patterns of parenting from infancy through adolescence. Explored are parent-child relationships and their implications for children's health, well-being, and quality of life in different family forms, including parenting in drug-addicted families, homeless families, cohabiting families, single-parent families, and LGBT families around the world. Using an array of theories with relevant empirical findings, the practical implications for child development both within the United States and across the globe are highlighted. Also included is specific information about tools and techniques for measuring intimate relationships and intervention strategies for relationship problems. Integrates modern, evidence-based research on parenting and child development Synthesizes interdisciplinary modes of studying parenting and child development Contextualizes research using global perspectives across cultures, ethnicities, and a diverse array of family patterns Capture both fundamentals and nuances of parenting and child development in concise chapters

"Ken Jennings reveals the truth behind all those things you tell your children" (Parade) in this entertaining and useful New York Times bestseller "armed with case histories, scientific finds, and experiments on himself and his own children" (Los Angeles Times). Is any of it true? If so, how true? Ken Jennings wants to find out if parents always know best. Yes, all those years you were told not to sit too close to the television or swallow your gum or crack your knuckles are called into question by our country's leading trivia guru. Jennings separates myth from fact to debunk a wide variety of parental edicts: no swimming after meals, sit up straight, don't talk to strangers, and so on. Armed with medical case histories, scientific findings, and even the occasional experiment on himself (or his kids), Jennings exposes countless examples of parental wisdom run amok. Whether you're a parent plagued by needless concern or a kid (of any age) looking to say, "I told you so," this is the anti- helicopter parenting book you've been waiting for.

When Molly's and Becca's parents can no longer afford to keep their house, the family moves into an apartment. The parents try to hide their pain over the loss of their home, and the girls struggle with their emotions as they leave behind their friends, bedrooms, school, and playhouse in the house's beautiful backyard. All too late, Becca remembers she left her hidden treasure chest in the tree house. Will another child find her treasure? Would that child care about it or throw it away? As the family unpacks and adjusts to their new lives, they find their most valuable possession-a possession that can never be lost or taken away. With help from an unexpected source, Becca discovers that even if she never returns to her old house, the contents of the treasure chest will always be hers.A story about losing what we love, the upheaval of moving, and the surprise of delightful discoveries, "The Treasure Chest" helps both children and adults address difficult issues in today's world.

"Grace has created a book that connects with her peers, tackles the tough topics, and offers authentic, heartfelt advice that every young woman agonizing over relationships should hear."
-Lisa Nichols, Life Coach, Star of The Secret, and Author

The Guys, The Roses & The Regrets offers practical tips and real-life stories that will help teenage girls and young women navigate the crazy world of dating, relationships and break ups.

Sixteen-year-old Grace Hatton has lived through good and bad relationships and truly believes that every girl is beautiful and confident with or without a boyfriend. In making it her mission to help teenage girls everywhere understand their amazing qualities and experience wonderful, healthy, love filled relationships, Grace provides both spiritual and personal advice on such topics as Five things every girl needs to know about guys before dating them Ways to capture a guys attention Questions to ask yourself before you start dating Dealing with regrets and healing a broken heart With the helpful insight provided in this guidebook any young woman dazed and confused by the sometimes overwhelming world of dating can learn to live an independent and regret-free life surrounded by wonderful relationships.

Empowering Methods for Effective Childcare
As a professional childcare provider, you want to create an environment that is inviting and nurturing for children as well as encouraging for your adult staff. You want to find ways to form a partnership with parents in their children's development. Simply put, you want to provide an all-around quality childcare experience at every level. This book is also great for parents who want to take an active role in assuring the best childcare for their children.

Positive Discipline for Childcare Providers offers a thorough, practical program that is easily adaptable to any childcare or preschool situation and setting. Inside are workable solutions to many of today's toughest childcare issues and everything you need to develop an enriching experience for children, parents, and workers alike. You'll learn how to:
·Create a setting where children can laugh, learn, and grow
·Support healthy physical, emotional, and cognitive development in all children, including those with special needs
·Encourage parents to establish a partnership with you and provide the same kind, firm limits and respectful environment at home
·Uncover support and learning opportunities for yourself and fellow childcare providers
·And much more!
"In a magical way, Positive Discipline for Childcare Providers demonstrates techniques that decrease misbehavior by increasing the child's sense of capability, courage, and community feeling."
—Rob Guttenberg, a state-certified childcare trainer, director of parenting education at YMCA Youth Services Maryland, and author of The Parent As Cheerleader

"Wow! This book is an incredible resource full of effective and practical ideas—from creating an environment where everyone feels welcome to a model of discipline that respects and empowers adults and children."
—Mary Jamin Maguire, M.A., L.P., LICSW, trainer, Minnesota School-Age Childcare Training Network

In "If I Knew it Was Going to Be This Much Fun, I Would Have Become a Grandparent First Willard Scott, along with celebrities and ordinary people, will write about all the joys of becoming a grandparent. "If I Knew it Was Going to Be This Much Fun will be similar in format to "The Older the Fiddle, The Better the Tune-a long introduction by Willard, followed by shorter pieces by each contributor. This is a great follow-up book for Willard who was married for almost 50 years and has two grandchildren.

Winner of National Parenting Publications Award and Mom's Choice Award

Everybody knows how it feels to be ostracized, isolated or taunted, but most of us are at a loss when it comes to knowing how to make it better. In Carrie Goldman's groundbreaking book, Bullied, she offers concrete solutions for parents, teachers, and kids on how to effectively respond to painful situations--whether it is normal social conflict or more serious bullying.

Goldman's warm, engaging style combines the real-life stories of bullies, victims, bystanders, and their parents with the most cutting edge scientific research to provide a thorough analysis of cruelty in our culture. She explores how the pop culture permeates homes and schools, often impacting the way kids view those who are different from the accepted norm.

Bullied comprehensively addresses issues such as: The media's influence on aggression and bullying How to prevent cyberbullying, or how to manage cyberbullying once it has begun How to safely shift from being a bystander into a witness or an ally Effects of bullying on the brain, both for bullies and for victims Steps to take with the school if you are being bullied or sexually harassed A comprehensive look at restorative justice as a non-punitive response to bullying Techniques to help you deal with verbal taunting in the moment it is happening Identifying the difference between normal social drama and bullying Knowing when to ask for help and how to access effective help

The mother of a bullied first grader, Goldman's inspiring true story triggered an outpouring of support from online communities around the world. Bullied is a research-based book born from Goldman's blog post about the ridicule her daughter suffered for bringing a Star Wars thermos to school--a story that went viral on Facebook and Twitter before exploding everywhere, from CNN.com and Yahoo.com to sites all around the world. More than 200 people were interviewed for the book, including parents, teachers, kids, social workers, authors, celebrities, researchers, psychologists, actors, actresses, and school administrators. It is a wealth of knowledge packaged in a fascinating read.

They go by many names: helicopter parents, hovercrafts, PFHs (Parents from Hell). The news media is filled with stories of well-intentioned parents going to ridiculous extremes to remove all obstacles from their child's path to greatness . . . or at least to an ivy league school. From cradle to college, they remain intimately enmeshed in their children's lives, stifling their development and creating infantilized, spoiled, immature adults unprepared to make the decisions necessary for the real world. Or so the story goes.

Drawing on a wealth of eye-opening interviews with parents across the country, Margaret K. Nelson cuts through the stereotypes and hyperbole to examine the realities of what she terms "parenting out of control." Situating this phenomenon within a broad sociological context, she finds several striking explanations for why today's prosperous and well-educated parents are unable to set realistic boundaries when it comes to raising their children. Analyzing the goals and aspirations parents have for their children as well as the strategies they use to reach them, Nelson discovers fundamental differences among American parenting styles that expose class fault lines, both within the elite and between the elite and the middle and working classes.

Nelson goes on to explore the new ways technology shapes modern parenting. From baby monitors to cell phones (often referred to as the world's longest umbilical cord), to social networking sites, and even GPS devices, parents have more tools at their disposal than ever before to communicate with, supervise, and even spy on their children. These play important and often surprising roles in the phenomenon of parenting out of control. Yet the technologies parents choose, and those they refuse to use, often seem counterintuitive. Nelson shows that these choices make sense when viewed in the light of class expectations.

Today's parents are faced with unprecedented opportunities and dangers for their children, and are evolving novel strategies to adapt to these changes. Nelson's lucid and insightful work provides an authoritative examination of what happens when these new strategies go too far.

Raven's Roost is a story about Halloween. A mother and her three children relocate to a small town on the eastern seaboard to be closer to her parents and sister who live in the small town. It is fall and Halloween is fast approaching. The relocated children become friends with the two little boys who live next door to them. The two little boys harbor a dark secret about the old house on top of a hill called Raven's Roost. The two little boys have already discovered a secret cave and tunnel under the old house and they believe from what they have discovered that the house is haunted. There is further evidence that something mysterious is going on up at the old house and the children believe it is haunted. A mysterious floating light appears sometime after dark and there are sounds coming from the top of the hill that suggests a ghost does live at the house. The children set out to discover exactly what is going on up at the old house. On Halloween night they sneak off to go up to the old 'haunted' house under the guise of trick or treating the occupants of the house if there are any. Much to the dismay of the children's parents, the children have found a gold coin in the cave beneath the old mansion. The children's plot to trick or treat the house goes awry when a monstrous form appears at the house and an apparent ghost does appear during their Halloween night trip to the house.

The book deals with the generation gap which exists between elders and youngsters and how the same can be bridged through a genuine introspection which can help in taking remedial action in daily life. With the fast-changing times, it is vitally important to be able to solve these differences through self-change. The book gives specific examples of differing mind-sets as well as unusual situations which keep occurring and how they are ultimately solved. The dismal relationship which existed between the parents and the daughter ultimately changes due to self-realization. There are specific examples highlighting the positivity and negativity of such situations.

Being a teenager is no easy task. Between the hassles from your parents and teachers and the pressures from your friends, it s often heard to cope. Here you will find necessary guidance to make your life work more effectively and less painfully. Getting Your Own Way is a self-help book designed to instruct teenagers in the art of assertiveness techniques. Mary Mihaly teaches you that you have the right to challenge authority, the right to decide for yourself, the right to say I don t care and tells you how to protect these rights. This book will help you gain the confidence to: .Handle criticism .Protect your individuality .Distinguish between being taken advantage of and being asked to do your own share .Express anger without offending .Deal with sexual pressure By guiding you through how to handle stressful real life situations, this book will make your life easier and help you discover your full potential."

A candid assessment of the pros and cons of delayed motherhood.
Biology does not bend to feminist ideals and science does not work miracles. That is the message of this eye-opening discussion of the consequences of delayed motherhood. Part personal account, part manifesto, Selvaratnam recounts her emotional journey through multiple miscarriages after the age of 37. Her doctor told her she still "had time," but Selvaratnam found little reliable and often conflicting information about a mature woman's biological ability (or inability) to conceive.
Beyond her personal story, the author speaks to women in similar situations around the country, as well as fertility doctors, adoption counselors, reproductive health professionals, celebrities, feminists, journalists, and sociologists. Through in-depth reporting and her own experience, Selvaratnam urges more widespread education and open discussion about delayed motherhood in the hope that long-lasting solutions can take effect. The result is a book full of valuable information that will enable women to make smarter choices about their reproductive futures and to strike a more realistic balance between science, society and personal goals.

Two midwives present the What to Expect When You're Expecting for homebirths--with a Foreword by Dr. Christiane Northrup. Birthing is a miraculous time when you and your baby will work together to bring about life. As you finally cradle your precious newborn in your arms, you should know deep in your soul that every decision that brought the two of you to this special moment was yours. More families than ever are choosing to birth at home. Midwives Jane E. Drichta and Jodilyn Owen answer questions about the kind of care, support, and information you need as you investigate whether this option is right for you. Birth can be an empowering and positive experience, and this book provides gentle guidance, with high regard for your wisdom and ability to successfully navigate your prenatal care, birth, and early mothering. Enriched with real birth stories from new mothers, The Essential Homebirth Guide offers thoughtful, compassionate advice on a wealth of birthing topics, including: - Building a supportive homebirth community - Caring for yourself and your baby from your pregnancy through the postpartum period - Communicating about your birthing plans with your midwife, your partner, and your family and friends - Deciding whether homebirth is safe for you - Educating yourself about common pregnancy-related issues - Preparing your home and your family for the big day