Positive Parenting for Military Families Archives - Mr. Dad

Mark Bowers, author of 8 Keys to Raising the Quirky Child.

Topic: How to help a kid who doesn’t quite fit in.

Issues: The fine line between geeks, nerds, and the quirky and mild-autism or Asperger’s; identifying your child’s quirks; optimizing social skills; tracking your child’s development; managing challenges at home.

Tom Clynes, author of The Boy Who Played with Fusion.

Topic: Extreme science, extreme parenting, and how to make a star

Issues: The amazing story of Taylor Wilson, an American teenager who became the youngest personever to build a working nuclear fusion reactor; the equally amazing choices Taylor’s parents made to fully support his intellectual passions; the social challenges of being off-the-charts brilliant.

Susan Greenhalgh, author of Fat-Talk Nation.

Topic: The human costs of America’s war on fat.

Issues: The politics and culture of fat in America; how the war on fat damages the physical and emotional health of our young people and disrupts families and intimate relationships; how to change the national conversation and reframe our relationship with our bodies and our health.

Justin Sonnenburg, co-authhor of The Good Gut.

Topic: Taking control of your weight, your mood, and your long-term health

Issues: The relationship between our bodies and the trillions of organsms that live in our gut; the ways those organisms (called “microbiota”) determine whether we’re sick or healthy, fit or obese, sunny or moody; why our microbiota is facing a “mass extinction event.”

Jamie Glowacki, author of Oh Crap! Potty Training.

Topic: Everything modern parents need to know to do it once and do it right.

Issues: How do I know if my child is ready; why won’t my child poop in the potty; how do I avoid power struggles; How can I get their daycare provider on board? what about nighttime? why children regress.

Alissa Hamilton, author of Got Milked?

Topic: The great dairy deception and why you’ll thrive without milk.

Issues: The major players in promoting milk in the U.S.; how milk makes us sick and increase the risk of bone fractures; the need to balance calcium–which we get a lot of–and Vitamin D and magnesium (which we’re not getting enough of).

Sean Grover, author of When Kids Call the Shots.

Topic: How to seize control from your darling bully and enjoy being a parent again.

Issues: Understanding the root causes of your child’s bossy behavior; how your own insecurities and history have shaped your parenting choices; types of parents who are more susceptible to being bullied by their kids; three most common bullying styles that kids use–and strategies you can use to restore your leadership.

Heather Flett, coauthor of The Rookie Mom’s Handbook.

Topic: Motherhood, fatherhood, the changing landscape of parenthood.

Issues: How motherhood has changed over the last 10 years; the mom blogging community; resources for new moms; the importance of letting the dad do things his way; the role of social media in creating communities of moms.

Sue Doherty, author of Dancing with Your Baby.

Topic: Bonding and better health for you and your baby.

Issues: How touch, music, and movement benefit your baby; the ideal time to introduce your baby to music (hint: it’s before birth) and dance; how dancing with your baby benefits you.

 

 

Martha Ertman, author of Love’s Promises.

Topic: How formal and informal contracts shape all kinds of families.

Issues: The difference between a “deal” (I cook dinner and you wash the dishes) and an enforceable contract; Type A families (heterosexual couple raising a biologically related child) vs. Type B families (pretty much every other kind of family imaginable); how contracts shape and sustain families as opposed to simply being cold and calculating.

Lisa Sue Woititz, coauthor of Unwelcome Inheritance.

Topic: Break your family’s cycle of addictive behavior.

Issues: How alcoholism and addiction affect the whole person; characteristics of adult children of addicts; codependency and addictive thinking; learning from your family history; breaking the cycle of addiction; breaking the cycle of anger and resentment.

Robert Sears, coauthor of The Allergy Book.

Topic: Solving your child’s allergies, asthma, food sensitivities, and related problems.

Issues: Allergy testing; nasal allergies and the asthma connection; wheat and gluten sensitivity; the importance of probiotics in a healthy immune system; preventing allergies before they happen.

Michael Wombacher, author of Good Dog, Happy Baby.

Topic: Preparing your dog for the arrival of your child.

Issues: How to evaluate your dog and identify potential problems before the baby arrivers; how to resolve common behavioral problems such as barking object guarding, jumping up, overprotectiveness, and more; how to be sure your dog understands his place in the pack; teach your dog to build positive associations with the baby.

Laura Markham, author of Peaceful Parents, Happy Siblings.

Topic: How to stop the fighting and raise friends for life.

Issues: The most common mistake parents make with siblings; why you shouldn’t force your kids to share; how and why to schedule meltdowns; ways to foster sibling bonding; when to intervene in a sibling fight; should you force your kids to apologize to each other after a fight?

Scott Behson, author of The Working Dad’s Survival Guide.

Topic: How to succeed at work and at home.

Issues: Getting your work and family priorities figured out; negotiating workplace flexibility; paternity leave; uncovering and protecting family time; staying connected when you only have a short amount of family time; building your fatherhood network.

 

 

 

Josh Levs, author of All In.

Topic: How our work-first culture fails dads, families, and businesses.

Issues: The parental leave battle; the struggle between work and family; Dumping the “doofus dad” stereotype; challenges of being a military dad; dads’ changing priorities; the overall importance of fathers in children’s life.

Bobbi Conner, author of The Giant Book of Creativity for Kids.

Topic: 500 activities to encourage creativity in kids ages 2-12.

Issues: The principles of childhood creativity; being creative as a family; art activities, music activities, pretend activities; dance and movement activities, creativity with words.

Scott Sampson, author of How to Raise a Wild Child.

Topic: The art and science of falling in love with Nature.

Issues: What is nature and why do we need it? discovering nearby nature; mentoring young children; how to instill a love of nature even if you don’t love it that much yourself; balancing technology and nature; rethinking nature and childhood.

Michael Mascolo, author of 8 Keys to Old-School Parenting.

Topic:Why the “old” ways of parenting might be better than the “new” ways.

Issues: The shift from adult-centered parenting to child-centered parenting and why it’s been a failure; when parental authority became a bad thing; how to value your authority as a parent; cultivating your child’s character; applying discipline instead of punishment; raising self-directed children who are active learners.

Jodee Blanco, editor of Bullied Kids Speak Out.

Topic: How bullied kids survive–and how you can too.

Issues: Different types of bullying, the problem with “zero tolerance” programs; how children should respond to bullies; the role of parents and teachers in stopping bullying; survival strategies for victims; how bullies can apologize.