Hunter Maats, coauthor of The Straight-A Conspiracy.

Topic: Why everything you know about genius and intelligence is wrong.

Issues: The truth behind the lie that genius is born, not developed; understanding how the brain works; the connection between emotion and academic performance; the Betty Crocker approach to learning; taking the mystery out of reading; navigating your test prep like a London cabbie; go cyborg on your mistakes

Janell Burley Hoffman, author of iRules.

Topic: What every tech-healthy family needs to know about selfies, sexting, gaming, and growing up.

Issues: Having the tech talk (for big kids and little ones); learning to use the tech your child is engaged in; passwords, peers, and how to avoid being a creeper; sleep, kids, and devices; maintaining manners and rules away from home; how to create your own iRules contract.

Rona Renner, RN., author of Is that Me Yelling?

Topic: Getting your kids to cooperate without losing your cool.

Issues: becoming aware of yourself; understanding everyday triggers; adapting your parenting style to your child’s temperament; dealing with the yeller in your family; dealing with difficult situations, disorders, and differences.

Ronald Levant, author of Masculinity Reconstructed and editor of Psychology of Men and Masculinity.

Topic: The changing definition and expectations of fatherhood at work, in relationships, and in family life.

Issues: How has fatherhood changed over the past 30-40 years? The many “new” types of fathers: single, never married same sex, stay-at-home; how fathers impact their children; how has the father’s role in the family changed over the years?

Jennifer Senior, author of All Joy and No Fun.

Topic: The paradox of modern parenthood.

Issues: How children compromise the autonomy parents have grown accustomed to; how children affect parental decision making, division of labor, and can strain a marriage; the true fun in having children is just sitting back, being passive, and enjoying kids being themselves; much more.

Michelle Icard, author of Middle School Makeover.

Topic: Improving the way you and your child experience the middle school years.

Issues: Helping your kid through real middle school problems, including social media, questions about sex, mean girls (and boys), and fitting in, dealing with bullies, fashion, peer pressure, dating, independence, and more.

Shimi Kang, author of The Dolphin Way.

Topic: Raising healthy, happy, motivated kids without turning into a tiger.

Issues: What happens to kids raised by Tiger parents? the skills required to succeed in the 21st Century–and how Dolphin parenting encourages their development; The importance of play and downtime; what happens to kids raised the Dolphin way?

Johanna Stein, author of How Not to Calm a Baby on a Plane.

Topic: Hilarious, real-life lessons in parenting.

Issues: Going to war against the color pink; calming your child on a plane with a barfbag puppet–that someone else had used; your first emergency room visit; the most embarrassing and satisfying moments of parenthood; why to never play a practical joke in a hospital delivery room.

Becky Beaupre Gillespie and Hollee Schwartz Temple, co-authors of Good Enough Is the New Perfect.

Topic: Finding happiness and success in modern motherhood.

Issues: Motherhood and technology; the new mommy wars; do you feel you’ve lost track of what makes you truly happy? Is it possible to “have it all”? The truth is yes—but the secret is to create an “all” that you love.

5/4/14

Wendy Aronsson, author of Refeathering the Empty Nest

Topic: Life after the children leave

Issues: Preparing for the shift from parent to empty-nester; navigating the confusing emotions when your youngest finally leaves home; the challenges, uncertainties, and fears; how your marriage may change; (re)learning to focus on yourself; what happens when the kids move back home