Schwangerschaft & Elternschaft

As a respected child psychologist and mom with more than twenty years' experience, Dr. Ruth Peters knows how quickly children-even those younger than two-can gain the upper hand in the parent-child relationship. Even in the earliest interactions with their children, parents can inadvertently encourage bad patterns of behavior and set the stage for future problems. Dr. Peters outlines a behavior management system with clear, consistent, and fair rules that are connected to solid consequences and meaningful rewards. The book features: * A smiley-face chart to help kids know what is expected of them* Tips for using the system to handle socially inappropriate behavior (such as aggression, bossiness, and tantrums) and developmental issues (such as sleep problems and toilet training) * A chapter on attention deficit disorder* Specific advice for single parents and stepfamilies.This parent-friendly, practical guide is the first step toward bringing order to every home.

Today's family is in crisis. Many diverse factors have combined to weaken its structure in American society: the conflicting needs and schedules of dual working parents; the ongoing fragmentation of our civic, cultural, and religious communities; the prevalence of divorce and remarriage; the advent of technological distractions like video games and computers. What was once a strong, cohesive unit has become, in many cases, no more than a loose grouping of individuals with individual timetables and agendas. However, now more that ever before, we have the freedom to shape the kind of family we want, rather that an obligation to conform to inflexible concepts of what a family should be.Nationally respected family therapist William J. Doherty believes that we can strengthen the ties that bind us together-and create new, more permanent ones in the process-through the use of family-specific everyday rituals. The Intentional Family -- a practical guide to avoiding conflicts and promoting understanding -- offers a myriad of simple yet effective methods for opening regular channels of communication between parents and their children, husbands and wives: from shared family meals and vacations, to regular "storytime," weekly drives, religious services, and monthly "spouse only" romantic dinners. Clearly presented and engagingly written, here are proven and indispensable strategies for reviving a lost sense of family -- useful guidelines that will help us make the most of our most important relationships.

"Dan Neuharth's book demystifies much within our pasts that can hurt our intimate relationships in ways we may not even realize. If You Had Controlling Parents helps spark understanding and acceptance across generations." -- John Gray, Ph.D., author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from VenusDo you sometimes feel as if you are living your life to please others? Do you give other people the benefit of the doubt but second-guess yourself? Do you struggle with perfectionism, anxiety, lack of confidence, emotional emptiness, or eating disorders? In your intimate relationships, have you found it difficult to get close without losing your sense of self?If so, you may be among the fifteen million adults in the United States who were raised with unhealthy parental control. In this groundbreaking bestseller by accomplished family therapist Dan Neuharth, Ph.D., you'll discover whether your parents controlled eating, appearance, speech, decisions, feelings, social life, and other aspects of your childhood--and whether that control may underlie problems you still struggle with in adulthood. Packed with inspiring case studies and dozens of practical suggestions, this book shows you how to leave home emotionally so you can improve assertiveness, boundaries, and confidence, quiet you "inner critics," and bring more balance to your moods and relationships. Offering compassion, not blame, Dr. Neuharth helps you make peace with your past and avoid overcontrolling your children and other loved ones.

The first book written specifically for black mothers and fathers that discusses every aspect of parenthood from the time a child is conceived until age six. In collaboration with Donald R. Frisby, M.D., Richard A. McLaughlin, M.D., and Melvin W. Williams, M.D.

Based on a landmark longitudinal study, the nation's leading expert on stepfamilies reveals his breakthrough findings and offers the first detailed guide to easing the conflicts of stepfamily life and healing the scars of divorce.There are more than twenty million stepfamilies in America. For most of them, the simple, daily issues that challenge every family are even more anxiety-provoking. After conducting a comprehensive nine-year-long study funded by the National Institutes of Health, Dr. James H. Bray has written an invaluable book that explains why over half of all stepfamilies fail and reveals the strategies that help the others succeed.A stepfamily is assaulted on all sides by difficult and often divisive questions. How much control should a stepparent have over a stepchild? How much authority should a nonresidential parent exert over a child? How should a difficult former spouse be handled? How does an "ours" baby change the emotional dynamic in a stepfamily? Why is there a lack of "honeymoon effect" during the first years of stepfamily life?The purpose of Stepfamilies is to answer all the important questions of stepfamily life--to fill in the knowledge gaps that undermine so many stepfamilies today and, crucially, to learn the effect of stepfamily life on children. Based on one of the largest and longest studies of stepfamily life ever conducted, Stepfamilies interweaves the stories of real families to illustrate such study findings as how: a stepfamily has its own natural life cycle a stepfamily takes several years to develop into a family unit a stepfamily is at greatest risk during the first two years a stepfamily ultimately coalesces into one of three forms a stepfamily must solve four basic tasks in order to succeed a stepfamily can help heal the scars of divorceFilled with emotional, gripping stories, Bray's findings pinpoint the three major transitions in stepfamily life and identify the riskiest issues that can throw a family into crisis. Bray is the first to identify the several distinct forms that stepfamilies take and to explore which types of stepfamilies are more vulnerable than others and why. He also describes the natural life cycle of stepfamilies and basic tasks all stepfamilies must undertake to succeed. With a wealth of insight into the positive effects of remarriage, Bray shows how a loving, well-functioning stepfamily can lessen the trauma of divorce and restore a child's and family's sense of security.Most stepparents remarry with the highest hopes and new resolutions for a better life. Never before have their unique needs been addressed in depth. Through insightful case studies and practical advice, Stepfamilies reveals how a strong, stable stepfamily is as capable as a nuclear family of nurturing healthy development, of imbuing values, of setting limits and boundaries, and of providing a structure in which rules for living a moral and productive life are transmitted, tested, rebelled against, and ultimately affirmed. Bray's positive message and fascinating findings--many of which defy intuition--will put stepfamilies on the road to lifelong harmony.

Becoming a stepmother is a life-altering event in any woman's life. The issues are extraordinarily complex and women are overwhelmingly unprepared. Yet concerns usually focus on the effect remarriage has on the children. The Enlightened Stepmother approaches the subject from a totally new perspective -- that of the stepmother. Based on information -- sometimes controversial -- from stepmoms of all ages, occupations and lifestyles, who know from experience what works, what doesn't and why -- What you need to know about your new family before you become part of it.How to get off to the right start. (It's hard to change a relationship once you've taken the path of least resistance.)How to prevent, rather than cure, the stepmom's classic pitfalls.What you need to recognize about your relationship with your husband's children.How to handle relationships between your kids and his.Why you need to give your marriage top priority.How to make sure others are aware that this is your life too.Why you need to develop a working relationship with your stepchildren's mother.How to understand the inevitable stages every stepfamily passes through.How to overcome the guilt of not loving -- or even liking -- your stepchildren.How to avoid feeling guilty in circumstances over which you have no control.Why a successful stepfamily is as unique as every stepmom.AND MUCH MORE

Saving Childhood offers parents and grandparents practical strategies to cope with a society that seems perversely determined to frighten and corrupt its young. Cultural critic and popular radio host Michael Medved and his wife, psychologist Diane Medved, argue that in a mistaken effort to curb problems plaguing its youth, our culture has changed from protecting childhood as a precious time of growth to hammering even the smallest youngsters with a grim, harsh, and menacing view of the world. The Medveds systematically present unassailable scientific evidence, moving anecdotes, and personal experiences of raising their three young children to explain the attack from four primary directions--media, schools, peers, and even well-intentioned parents themselves.In a unique analysis the Medveds define innocence not as ignorance but as the result of three components--security, a sense of wonder and optimism. They empower parents and all who care about childhood with concrete, easily accomplished means to fend off the assault, as well as advice for handling hurdles such as the Internet, television, peer pressure, and the plague of pessimism. Saving Childhood enables us to restore and maintain for our children imagination, confidence, and hope for the future.

Hiring a nanny-and getting along with her afterward-may be one of the most important things that parents do, yet many of us approach the whole business with fear and trembling, or at least a lot of questions. Even parents who may manage dozens of employees at work can be at a loss when it comes to dealing with the person who will be looking after their children.Nanny, au pair, caregiver-no matter the term, the thorny issues remain the same:-How do you find someone you like and trust?-Should you invite the nanny to Thanksgiving dinner?-When should you raise her fee-and by how much?-What should you do when the au pair is a flirt?-How do you sort out the laundry and other chores?-Nanny surveillance-should you spy?The Nanny Book provides real, down-to-earth solutions for almost every conceivable issue or problem. Filled with advice gleaned through interviews with families and nannies, this book will turn parents into their own experts. Other books focus almost exclusively on hiring a caregiver. The Nanny Book is the only guide that gives smart, parent-tested solutions to those sticky situations that can make or break the relationship.

"A fascinating, mind-opening, heart-opening book flooded with inspiration, hope and encouragement. Any prospective parent or guardian can benefit deeply from reading Nurturing Your Baby's Soul and the touching stories it contains."-HUGH PRATHER author of Spiritual Notes to Myself coauthor of Spiritual ParentingIs there anything you can do to increase your child's potential before he or she is born? Nurturing Your Baby's Soul offers incredible insights into the inner life of the unborn child. And it gives practical spiritual techniques and meditations you can use to help develop your baby's unique gifts.This inspiring guide for spiritual parenting reveals how you can:-Bond and communicate with your baby's soul before birth-and even before conception-Prepare yourself spiritually for parenting-Improve your relationships and spiritualize your marriage-Help your child reach his highest potential and fulfill his life's mission-Practice prayer, meditation and affirmations for the conception and protection of that special soul you want to bring into your life-Use sound, music and art to transform the body, mind and soul of your unborn childIncludes charts, illustrations, recommended music selections, meditations, visualizations and affirmations.

Parents and early childhood educators ask more questions about crying than about any other topic, wondering whether it is appropriate to comfort, ignore, distract, punish, give in, or listen empathically to children when they cry. Tears and Tantrums is a highly readable, compassionate, and well-researched book in which the author addresses these common questions and concerns.There has been a huge misunderstanding about the purpose of crying in healthy development, leading to the wide-spread notion that crying should be stopped. Backed by scientific studies, the author proposes a stress-release theory of crying and recommends an attitude of acceptance towards children's tears and tantrums. At the core of her approach is the concept of empathic listening.The book is divided into four sections. The first section (some facts about tears and tantrums) describes the major sources of stress for children, the physiology of crying, and the psychological benefits of it. It also covers the uses of crying in therapy, the differences in crying between men and women, and the ways in which stress-release crying becomes repressed. The second section describes the sources of stress for infants (such as birth trauma and overstimulation), which can cause a need for stress-release crying during the first year. The author makes an important distinction between crying to communicate and crying to release stress, and she explains how problems such as night waking in older infants can be resolved when sufficient stress release has taken place. She emphasizes that infants should never be left to cry alone. Instead, she recommends that parents hold their crying infants, try to meet the infant's immediate needs, and then offer comfort and empathy if the baby still needs to cry. An interesting section discusses the typical behaviors that can result when there is a mismatch between the infant's needs and the parents' response. In the third section (about children from one to eight years) the author explains the reasons for tantrums, specifically the "broken-cookie" phenomenon (when a child rages over a minor incident), while making an important distinction between healthy anger release and aggressive behavior. She also offers suggestions on how to respond lovingly to crying during physical hurts and separations, at bedtime, and after traumatic events. The final section (practical applications) includes many personal accounts by parents using this approach as well as answers to the most commonly asked questions. Tears and Tantrums has been favorably reviewed by Publishers Weekly and Booklist as well as by many psychologists, psychiatrists, educators, and parents. It has been translated into many languages.

"Thank you, Catherine Sanders, for giving us a book that few others could have written. Every page speaks both the depth of your compassion and the breadth of your knowledge. This book will be a wise companion on the difficult journey from loss to recovery."— Robert Kastenbaum, Ph.D., author of The Psychology of Death "How to Survive the Loss of a Child is a godsend to those in the field as well as to those of us in need of such a resource for our own mourning."— Eugene Knott, Ph.D., University of Rhode Island "Dr. Sanders' insights are profound and poignant."— Patricia Geiger, M.D., pediatrician, Boone, North Carolina "Thank you so much for all that you do for bereaved parents but especially for writing How to Survive the Loss of a Child. I know that it has changed lives. It changed mine!"— Nancy Ulmer, bereaved parent, Kindermourn, Charlotte, North Carolina It is only through experiencing grief that bereaved parents ultimately heal. Moving through the phases of grief, the bereaved person works toward restoration. Understanding these phases, knowing what to expect, and learning what they can do to help themselves give parents greater assurance and comfort. In How to Survive the Loss of a Child, Dr. Sanders, a bereaved parent herself, offers grieving parents practical help and emotional support. This book also helps family members, friends, and caregivers relate to grieving parents and aids them, too, in understanding the process of healing through grief.

"You're crazy to be raising kids in New York City!" If these words sound familiar, this book is for you.Who Knew Raising Kids in New York Could Be This Easy? is the guidebook New York City parents will come to rely on. Chock full of relevant information, it covers all of parents' day-to-day issues-- from the most pressing, like who will care for your child when you can't, to the more mundane, like where you can get a good kiddy haircut without making your own hair stand on end. Who Knew is designed to share frank, firsthand, need-to-know information for parents of Manhattan tots. With this guidebook in hand, parents from Battery Park to Gracie Mansion will be cheering: "Who Knew Raising Kids in New York Could Be This Easy?"

Now updated with new material on AIDS and support groups, this ?completely non-judgmental, very informative, and extremely effective book? (Library Journal)is a standard reference for parents of gays and lesbians.

"Through excellent examples and easy-to-read text, this book provides parents with a pathway to understanding their child's temperament and to a place where parents can balance the needs of their child's unique temperament with their own needs and those of their family." -- James Cameron, Ph.D., executive director, The Preventive Ounce, Berkeley, CaliforniaThe essential companion workbook to the national bestseller "Raising Your Spirited Child, " In this companion workbook, Mary Sheedy Kurcinka brings readers into her world-famous workshops, where she offers parents and educators insights, emotional support and proven strategies for dealing with spirited children. The key word that distinguishes spirited children from other children is "more" -- more intense, more persistent, more sensitive and more uncomfortable with change. Through exercises, observations and dialogue from actual groups, Kurcinka helps readers learn to identify the triggers that lead to tantrums and challenging behaviors. Included are clues to help you identify the little things that can make or break a day, tips for profiling your child's temperament and your own, cues that indicate intensity is rising, successful strategies for reducing and eliminating power struggles. By combining the intuition and compassion gained from parenting a spirited child with the wisdom of an expert who has worked with thousands of families, Mary Sheedy Kurcinka helps parents and educators view their unique challenge with perseverance, flexibility, sensitivity, and, most of all, enjoyment.

John White offers comfort and counsel to the parents of children with severe problems like rebellion, alcoholism, drug abuse, homosexuality or suicide.

In The Shadow Man, the bestselling author of Final Payments and The Company of Women elevates the memoir into an uncompromising and unforgettable art form as she seeks to learn the truth about her lost father. 20 photos.