Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.

When Jan Campito first entered the world of special needs, she trusted the experts to tell her what was wrong, and how to proceed to help her children. Here she was, an articulate, well-educated person, usually confident in navigating whatever situations were required, and yet she became passive and trusting when it came to assuming people would tell her what was wrong with her children's development and what to do to help them. As she realized more and more that no one else was stepping into the lead position to obtain appropriate help for her children, she realized that she needed to take on that responsibility. Since then, she has learnt to take an active role in advocating for her children, and helping meet their needs. From procuring evaluations, to understanding what the diagnoses mean, to selecting therapies and therapists, to following through on therapies at home and targeting needs to be addressed, to helping formulate IEPs, and to monitoring and intervening in their school settings, she has become a comprehensive advocate for her children with special needs, and in this book Jan shares with other parents some of her experiences and some of what she has learnt in the process.

As parents, we want our children to take responsibility for their schoolwork, their chores, and their choices. We want them to grow into independent adults, but when we see them struggling, we sometimes have a tendency to step in and problem-solve, telling them exactly what to do or even doing things for them ourselves. The problem is the more controlling we are with our children, the more out of control they feel. When our children feel out of control, problems big and small follow—from more tantrums in thwarted toddlers to a higher risk of drug and alcohol use in adolescence. So how do we support our children’s autonomy while maintaining boundaries and not losing our minds in the process? From clinical psychologist Emily Edlynn, PhD, comes a flexible parenting framework that can apply to every family and every parental relationship. With Autonomy-Supportive Parenting, you can build trust in your child and trust in yourself.

Anxiety disorders and OCD are the most common mental health problems of childhood and adolescence. This book provides a complete, step-by-step program for parents looking to alleviate their children's anxiety by changing the way they themselves respond to their children's symptoms.

Accessible, easy-to-follow guide to teaching parents and other caregivers to value and support a child's development.

New York Times Bestseller "Julie Lythcott-Haims is a national treasure. . . . A must-read for every parent who senses that there is a healthier and saner way to raise our children." -Madeline Levine, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Price of Privilege and Teach Your Children Well "For parents who want to foster hearty self-reliance instead of hollow self-esteem, How to Raise an Adult is the right book at the right time." -Daniel H. Pink, author of the New York Times bestsellers Drive and A Whole New Mind A provocative manifesto that exposes the harms of helicopter parenting and sets forth an alternate philosophy for raising preteens and teens to self-sufficient young adulthood In How to Raise an Adult, Julie Lythcott-Haims draws on research, on conversations with admissions officers, educators, and employers, and on her own insights as a mother and as a student dean to highlight the ways in which overparenting harms children, their stressed-out parents, and society at large. While empathizing with the parental hopes and, especially, fears that lead to overhelping, Lythcott-Haims offers practical alternative strategies that underline the importance of allowing children to make their own mistakes and develop the resilience, resourcefulness, and inner determination necessary for success. Relevant to parents of toddlers as well as of twentysomethings-and of special value to parents of teens-this book is a rallying cry for those who wish to ensure that the next generation can take charge of their own lives with competence and confidence.

A guide for busy parents on how to promote harmony in a family shares insights into developmental stages in children while outlining parenting strategies that promote cooperative behaviors without the use of threats or bribes.