A Guide to Laughing More and Yelling Less Today's busy families often race from one activity to the next with meals, homework, chores and discipline somehow fitting between the cracks. For families wanting to inject some fun back into their daily routines, Fun - Filled Parenting comes to the rescue! Take the stress out of parenting by choosing f...

10 WAYS TO BE AN EXCEPTIONAL PARENT IN A QUICK-FIX WORLD No matter how good their intentions, all parents at times resort to quick-fix parenting: things we do to stop a kid's negative or annoying behavior. Quick-fix parenting may temporarily ease a parent's stress level, but it does little to positively impact a child's future. Quick-fix parenting is a terrible long-term strategy for parenting. Intentional parenting is the opposite of quick-fix parenting. Intentional parenting is a way to raise children to become healthy, independent young adults. It's based on solid principles which, applied over time, actually result in less-stressed parents and happier, better-adjusted, and more successful kids. Intentional parenting means you've got more than good intentions; you've got a plan. (And it's always better to have a plan for dealing with the stuff that inevitably crops up between parents and their kids than it is to wing it.) In Intentional Parenting: 10 Ways to be an Exceptional Parent in a Quick-Fix World, Doug and Cathy Fields draw on their own extended experience with young people and as parents to guide you through 10 specific actions that will help you become a more effective parent. A great resource for individuals, couples, and small groups, this interactive workbook comes with a free code to stream 10 video sessions, plus a small group discussion guide. To find out more, visit IntentionalParenting.com. See more resources like this at OrangeBooks.com and ThinkOrange.com

Thousands of books have examined the effects of parents on their children. In All Joy and No Fun, award-winning journalist Jennifer Senior now asks: what are the effects of children on their parents? In All Joy and No Fun, award-winning journalist Jennifer Senior tries to tackle this question, isolating and analyzing the many ways in which children reshape their parents' lives, whether it's their marriages, their jobs, their habits, their hobbies, their friendships, or their internal senses of self. She argues that changes in the last half century have radically altered the roles of today's mothers and fathers, making their mandates at once more complex and far less clear. Recruiting from a wide variety of sources—in history, sociology, economics, psychology, philosophy, and anthropology—she dissects both the timeless strains of parenting and the ones that are brand new, and then brings her research to life in the homes of ordinary parents around the country. The result is an unforgettable series of family portraits, starting with parents of young children and progressing to parents of teens. Through lively and accessible storytelling, Senior follows these mothers and fathers as they wrestle with some of parenthood's deepest vexations—and luxuriate in some of its finest rewards. Meticulously researched yet imbued with emotional intelligence, All Joy and No Fun makes us reconsider some of our culture's most basic beliefs about parenthood, all while illuminating the profound ways children deepen and add purpose to our lives. By focusing on parenthood, rather than parenting, the book is original and essential reading for mothers and fathers of today—and tomorrow.

From the family that brought you The Lifegiving Home and The Lifegiving Table, discover how you can become a parent who gives your child a life worth living for Christ. In today’s world, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and even paralyzed by the constant flow of parenting advice. We’re flooded with so much practical information that we wonder if we’re choosing the right way. And we may be missing the one thing God really wants us to give to our children: His life. God doesn’t include a divine methodology for parenting in the Bible, but He does provide principles that can enable any faithful parent to bring His life into the life of their home. In The Lifegiving Parent, respected authors and parents Clay and Sally Clarkson explore eight key principles—heartbeats of lifegiving parenting—to shed light on what it means to create a home where your children will experience the living God in your family. Now parents of four grown children—each with their own unique personality and gifts—Sally and Clay have learned (sometimes the hard way!) that the key to shaping a heart begins at home as you foster a deep and thoughtful God-infused relationship with each child. Filled with biblical insight and classic Clarkson stories, The Lifegiving Parent will equip you with the tools and wisdom you need to give your children much more than just a good Christian life. You’ll give them the life of Christ. (Don’t miss the companion piece, The Lifegiving Parent Experience!)

Unconventional--yet effective--parenting strategies, carefully curated by the creator of the popular podcast The Longest Shortest Time Some of the best parenting advice that Hillary Frank ever received did not come from parenting experts, but from friends and podcast listeners who acted on a whim, often in moments of desperation. These "weird parenting wins" were born of moments when the expert advice wasn't working, and instead of freaking out, these parents had a stroke of genius. For example, there's the dad who pig-snorted in his baby's ear to get her to stop crying, and the mom who made a "flat daddy" out of cardboard and sat it at the dinner table when her kids were missing their deployed military father. Every parent and kid is unique, and as we get to know our kids, we can figure out what makes them tick. Because this is an ongoing process, Weird Parenting Wins covers children of all ages, ranging in topics from "The Art of Getting Your Kid to Act Like a Person" (on hygiene, potty training, and manners) to "The Art of Getting Your Kid to Tell You Things" (because eventually, they're going to be tight-lipped). You may find that someone else's weird parenting win works for you, or you might be inspired to try something new the next time you're stuck in a parenting rut. Or maybe you'll just get a good laugh out of the mom who got her kid to try beets because...it might turn her poop pink.

As parents, we long for our kids to have family relationships that last a lifetime. But how do we create an atmosphere for connection on this messy journey of parenting? Messy Parenting shows you small changes you can make now to build lasting relationships, even when the going gets tough. By applying God’s design for interdependence, you’ll be able to: strengthen family relationships, encourage leadership skills, distinguish between enabling and helping, discuss without creating division, and so much more.

How do you walk with your children during times of struggle and crisis? Do you feel as if nothing you do will be enough? In Mary's Way, a heartfelt book for moms who struggle to guide children through the various stages of their lives, Catholic speaker and teacher Judy Landrieu Klein shows how her own crisis of faith helped her release her children to the care of the Blessed Mother. In doing so, Klein shows you how to find the love, joy, and peace of Our Lord as you surrender your will to him. Judy Landrieu Klein struggled with her faith as she lived through her son’s near-fatal addiction to drugs and her daughter’s painful anxiety. She discovered she couldn’t handle the relentless pressure of life not measuring up to her expectations and it was eating away at her family. Klein considered Mary’s reaction to the events in the life of Jesus. She meditated on Mary’s fiat and her prayer of total surrender to God’s will and saw how this act of obedience carried on throughout Mary’s life as she witnessed the life of her son. As Klein focused on her devotion to the Blessed Mother, her life and faith were transformed. In Mary’s Way, Klein reflects on the Annunciation and describes her own to struggle to embrace the will of God by surrendering control of her family planning. She meditates on Mary’s powerlessness during the Crucifixion, finding a place of calming surrender during her own son’s escalating battle with addiction. Klein shows how you can become a more powerful intercessor for yourself and your children. When you finish reading this book, you’ll find yourself turning to Mary and surrendering yourself and your children more fully to God.