Heather Shumaker, author of It’s OK to Go up the Slide.
Topic: Renegade rules for raising confident and creative kids.
Issues: Risk vs. independence; why we need to put safety second; the importance of modeling mistakes; navigating technology; children’s rights at school; don’t banish scary stories; deal with disasters in the news; mean words matter learning to relax.


Risk vs. Independence

Parenting Resources and Advice for Expectant Fathers, New Dads, Dads of Teens, Single Dads

Kids & Family

Ann Gadzikowski, author of Creating a Beautiful Mess.
Topic: Essential play experiences for a joyous childhood.
Issues: Playing with blocks; turn-taking games; pretend and make believe; the joys of messes; finding and collecting; and more.


Pretend and Make Believe

Katherine Ozment, author of Grace without God.
Topic: The search for meaning, purpose, and belonging in a secular age.
Issues: Percentage of adults who don’t identify with any organized religion is growing; are they skipping out on more than tired rituals and ancient folklore? How do non-religious people fill the need for community, more guidance, and meaning without religion?


Searching for Meaning Without Religion

Paul Tough, author of Helping Children Succeed.
Topic: What works to help low income kids and why.
Issues: What does growing up in poverty do to children’s mental and physical health and development? How does adversity at home affect their success in the classroom? What practical steps can parents, teachers, and policymakers take to improve their chances for a positive future.


How Adversity at Home Affects Success in Life and School

Michele Borba, author of Unselfie,
Topic: Why empathetic kids succeed in our all-about-me world.
Issues: The hidden advantage of empathy and why it matters for children; how to develop empathy; what empathetic kids do that non-empathetic kids don’t; developing moral courage; becoming an empathetic leader


The Hidden Advantage of Empathy and Why It Matters

Ira Chasnoff, author of The Mystery of Risk.
Topic: Drugs, alcohol, pregnancy, and the vulnerable child.
Issues: An overview of biological and environmental risks to newborns; risks to children exposed to marijuana, alcohol, and harder drugs in utero; behavior, memory, and other problems in drug-/alcohol-exposed children; diagnosing and treating drug-/alcohol-exposed children.


Risk vs. Independence

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