From raunchy television shows to immoral peers, the barriers to raising moral and mature children are higher and more treacherous than ever. In Raising Upright Kids in an Upside-Down World, acclaimed Catholic psychologist Dr. Ray Guarendi offers parents a roadmap through this difficult and sometimes frightening terrain. Dr. Ray brings to bear his decades of clinical experience—and his experience as a father of ten—with some of the hardest questions of modern parenting: How do you manage kids' access to pop culture—and to the corporations who all want a piece of their allowance? How do you respond to others, including your own family, who don't approve of your countercultural parenting? How do you handle the overabundance of stuff—toys, clothes, technology—that clogs up your family's everyday life? When do you give (or take away) a smartphone? How much freedom do you give your kids to choose their own friends—and when do you step in when they make wrong choices? What are the habits of mind you need to form in them so they can stand strong against a morally and spiritually corrosive culture? Raising Upright Kids in an Upside-Down World is a clarion call for strong, confident parenting in confusing times. More importantly, Dr. Ray gives you the resources to grow in that confidence: the knowledge of an expert, the insight of an experienced clinician, and the wisdom of decades of fatherhood. This is a book for parents who aim to form children who value the things of God, no matter the work and the effort. Dr. Ray is here to tell you: it's worth it.

With wit and wisdom, Dr. Ray Guarendi gives parents the tools they need not only to navigate the teen years but also to enjoy them. Teens are "full of life, enthusiasm, energy, and laughter," Dr. Ray asserts, in defiance of a culture that conditions us to expect a far gloomier reality. Too often, the world tells parents to be content with mediocrity instead of the prospect of raising respectful and responsible children with strong character. In a lively question-and-answer format, Dr. Ray unpacks issues ranging from sibling relationships and peer pressure to curfews and chores to overcoming backtalk and teaching your kids to avoid drugs. He equips parents to give their teens a safer, more stable adolescence and help them develop virtues for a lifetime. If you feel as if you've been a weak disciplinarian, Dr. Ray explains that "there are . . . critical reasons to reverse your parenting, even if it seems late." He offers practical approaches such as: Four tips to help you enjoy your kids' teen years Three techniques for becoming a calmer parent Five ways to monitor your child's use of technology Four simple house rules that lead to success Four consequences to curb nasty talk A strategy to motivate underachievers You will also learn four key sayings for communicating more effectively with your teens. In addition, you will find out specific ways to cultivate an attitude of gratitude in your kids. Most significantly, you will learn how to help your children treat you with respect, so that they will develop this habit in their relationships with others as well. As you grow in becoming a stronger parent with calm, loving resolve, you will learn how to foster quality time with your teens and have real fun together. This book is wise, perceptive, and laugh-out-loud funny. Dr. Ray uses his trademark humor-with-a-dash-of-sarcasm to give those parents who are barely treading water some good, sound, logical advice to change the tone and tenor of their households for the better.

Covering the most troublesome aspects of parenthood, this book is full of real, sensible, down-to-earth guidance. Covering the most troublesome aspects of parenthood, this book is full of real, sensible, down-to-earth guidance. It restores you confidence in yourself so you don't feel undermined by all the self-proclaimed experts and enables you to raise your children in a way that is better for them...and lot better for you!

Today’s busier, faster society is waging an undeclared war on childhood. With too much stuff, too many choices, and too little time, children can become anxious, have trouble with friends and school, or even be diagnosed with behavioral problems. Now internationally renowned family consultant Kim John Payne helps parents reclaim for their children the space and freedom that all kids need for their attention to deepen and their individuality to flourish. Simplicity Parenting offers inspiration, ideas, and a blueprint for change: • Streamline your home environment. Reduce the amount of toys, books, and clutter—as well as the lights, sounds, and general sensory overload. • Establish rhythms and rituals. Discover ways to ease daily tensions, create battle-free mealtimes and bedtimes, and tell if your child is overwhelmed. • Schedule a break in the schedule. Establish intervals of calm and connection in your child’s daily torrent of constant doing. • Scale back on media and parental involvement. Manage your children’s “screen time” to limit the endless deluge of information and stimulation. A manifesto for protecting the grace of childhood, Simplicity Parenting is an eloquent guide to bringing new rhythms to bear on the lifelong art of raising children.

This work...applies in a concrete manner the profound spiritual wisdom of Orthodoxy to the realities of the common life and, in this case, the raising of children. Must reading for Orthodox Christian pastors, teachers and parents.--Fr. Stanley Harakas

Two seasoned parents share the personal story of how they made conscious, faithful choices to raise six successful and courageous children. Michelle and Jim Capra have given all parents a precious, practical gift by sharing their own honest journey to create six children of character. Their struggles to develop habits of excellence, accountability, and moral standards in a loving, godly way are lessons for us all. I only wish I had read this book when I was raising my own children! Barbara A. Glanz Hall of Fame Speaker and Author of "Priceless Gifts - Using What God's Given You to Bless Others" As parents to six children, what really resonates with me about James and Michelle Capra's book, 'Raising Courageous Children in a Cowardly Culture', is their candidness. I truly appreciate that he withstands the tide of political correctness and states what parents today really need to hear. This is the go-to resource for raising upright children. David Heavener, Evangelist, Revelation Media Ministry

America has a problem. Conservatives aren't helping their kids mature past that arrested development phase also known as liberalism! In this groundbreaking book, noted speaker Reb Bradley proves that societal pressures and foolish child-raising theories that have gone mainstream are preventing parents from developing in their kids the key ingredients of maturity, including self-control. Too many children are becoming adults who are ruled purely by magical thinking, passions, emotions and desires -- the hallmarks of the liberal mindset. It's up to parents to turn their baby Bolsheviks into good citizens by helping their kids mature past their infantile liberal stage. Reb Bradley shows how.