What do we wish most for our children? Next to being healthy, we want them to be happy, of course! Fortunately, a wide array of scientific studies show that happiness is a learned behavior, a muscle we can help our children build and maintain. Drawing on what psychology, sociology, and neuroscience have proven about confidence, gratefulness, and optimism, and using her own chaotic and often hilarious real-world adventures as a mom to demonstrate do’s and don’ts in action, Christine Carter, Ph.D, executive director of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, boils the process down to 10 simple happiness-inducing steps. With great wit, wisdom, and compassion, Carter covers the day-to-day pressure points of parenting—how best to discipline, get kids to school and activities on time, and get dinner on the table—as well as the more elusive issues of helping children build healthy friendships and develop emotional intelligence. In these 10 key steps, she helps you interact confidently and consistently with your kids to foster the skills, habits, and mindsets that will set the stage for positive emotions now and into their adolescence and beyond. Inside you will discover • the best way avoid raising a brat—changing bad habits into good ones • tips on how to change your kids’ attitude into gratitude • the trap of trying to be perfect—and how to stay clear of its pitfalls • the right way to praise kids—and why too much of the wrong kind can be just as bad as not enough • the spirit of kindness—how to raise kind, compassionate, and loving children • strategies for inspiring kids to do boring (but necessary) tasks—and become more self-motivated in the process Complete with a series of “try this” tips, secrets, and strategies, Raising Happiness is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help you instill joy in your kids—and, in the process, become more joyful yourself.

Happy Children through Positive Parenting is a parenting book with a difference. It does not tell parents how and when to potty train or when to introduce children to solid food. Instead it argues what really matters is helping children to grow up feeling secure and good about themselves, enabling them to gain positive self-esteem. Knowing and liking yourself is so often the key to success in life - affecting personal relationships, general motivation and success in work. Using key words such as 'praise', 'play', 'time', 'touch' and 'talk' Elizabeth Hartley-Brewer speaks to new and experienced parents alike about what helps children to develop and what blocks progress. No matter how difficult parenting may have seemed in the past, this book offers a clear and simple way forward in the most influential relationship of all - that between parent and child.

Be the parent you want to be with Parenting Made Easy. Parenting coach Sue Atkins has helped thousands of parents build stronger relationships with their children using her straightforward strategies. In this practical guide she shares her positive methods to help you parent with confidence and raise happy, motivated and well-behaved kids. - Develop your childrens' self-esteem - Turn conflicts into conversations - Encourage independence and good behaviour - Be confident and positive in your abilities as a parent

Each age has had its own 'voice of authority', from Dr Spock to Penelope Leach. Raising Happy Children is different. Supportive, informative and honest, it draws not only from the hands-on experience of its authors, but from a wide range of practical experts in their field. Contributors range from the obstetrician Yehudi Gordon to the director of the Institute for Family Therapy, Hugh Jenkins. There has never been greater need for a book which shows understanding of the pressures and stresses on parents, while teaching them the much-needed practical skills. Picking up where most books leave off, its detailed and thought-provoking content focuses on the tough problems, contentious issues and crucial questions faced by all parents. This is a book to enable - not to preach. Pragmatic and parent-friendly, humorous and intelligent, Raising Happy Children provides all the information and options you need to negotiate vital and stressful areas of parenthood.

“Instead of trusting kids with choices . . . many parents insist on micromanaging everything from homework to friendships. For these parents, Stixrud and Johnson have a simple message: Stop.” —NPR “This humane, thoughtful book turns the latest brain science into valuable practical advice for parents.” —Paul Tough, New York Times bestselling author of How Children Succeed A few years ago, Bill Stixrud and Ned Johnson started noticing the same problem from different angles: Even high-performing kids were coming to them acutely stressed and lacking motivation. Many complained they had no control over their lives. Some stumbled in high school or hit college and unraveled. Bill is a clinical neuropsychologist who helps kids gripped by anxiety or struggling to learn. Ned is a motivational coach who runs an elite tutoring service. Together they discovered that the best antidote to stress is to give kids more of a sense of control over their lives. But this doesn't mean giving up your authority as a parent. In this groundbreaking book they reveal how you can actively help your child to sculpt a brain that is resilient, and ready to take on new challenges. The Self-Driven Child offers a combination of cutting-edge brain science, the latest discoveries in behavioral therapy, and case studies drawn from the thousands of kids and teens Bill and Ned have helped over the years to teach you how to set your child on the real road to success. As parents, we can only drive our kids so far. At some point, they will have to take the wheel and map out their own path. But there is a lot you can do before then to help them tackle the road ahead with resilience and imagination.

A guide for parents that covers twenty-six different topics on effective parenting, discussing issues such as self-confidence, childhood fears, school anxiety, doctor's visits, sibling rivalry, and more.

International bestseller As seen in The Wall Street Journal--from free play to cozy together time, discover the parenting secrets of the happiest people in the world What makes Denmark the happiest country in the world--and how do Danish parents raise happy, confident, successful kids, year after year? This upbeat and practical book presents six essential principles, which spell out P-A-R-E-N-T: Play is essential for development and well-being. Authenticity fosters trust and an "inner compass." Reframing helps kids cope with setbacks and look on the bright side. Empathy allows us to act with kindness toward others. No ultimatums means no power struggles, lines in the sand, or resentment. Togetherness is a way to celebrate family time, on special occasions and every day. The Danes call this hygge--and it's a fun, cozy way to foster closeness. Preparing meals together, playing favorite games, and sharing other family traditions are all hygge. (Cell phones, bickering, and complaining are not!) With illuminating examples and simple yet powerful advice, The Danish Way of Parenting will help parents from all walks of life raise the happiest, most well-adjusted kids in the world.