Unfortunately, our worldly culture offers moms little in the way of real help. Mamas only connect to celebrate surviving another day and to share in their misery rather than rejoice in what God has done and to build each other up in hard times. There has a be a better way, a biblical way, for mamas to grow and thrive.                   As a daughter of Christ, you have been called to be more than an average mama. Attaining excellence doesn’t have to be unsettling but it will take committed focus and a desire to parent well according to God’s grace and for His glory. M is for Mama offers advice, encouragement, and scripturally sound strategies seasoned with a little bit of humor to help you embrace the challenge of biblical motherhood and raise your children with love and wisdom.  Mama, you are worthy of the awesome responsibility God has given you. Now it’s time to start believing you can live up to it.

    At a time when online media has created a virtual firehose of information and opinions, parents and teachers worry how students will interpret what they read and see. Amid the noise, it has become increasingly important to examine different perspectives with both curiosity and discernment. But how do parents teach these skills to their children?Drawing on more than twenty years' experience homeschooling and developing curricula, Julie Bogart offers practical tools to help children at every stage of development to grow in their ability to explore the world around them, examine how their loyalties and biases affect their beliefs, and generate fresh insight rather than simply recycling what they've been taught. Full of accessible stories and activities for children of all ages, Raising Critical Thinkers helps parents to nurture passionate learners with thoughtful minds and empathetic hearts.

    Relatable stories of the authors’ successes and failures along with fun activities and games help parents turn everyday moments into faith-filled moments that are naturally filled with prayer.Praying with your kids can be connecting, fun, nonintimidating, and even life changing.Includes:Prayer gamesPrayer Activities

    In Courageously Expecting, Jenny Albers meets women in this difficult season as someone who has also experienced the worst and cautiously hoped for the best. Through the telling of her own story, Scripture, and heartfelt prayer, she encourages readers to cling to faith in the face of fear and guides them tocultivate hope when doubt weighs heavy;realize that the past does not dictate the present or the future and that God creates a way in the wilderness of grief and loss;flip the script on the what-if, worst-case-scenario narrative in their minds and learn to take their thoughts captive; andfind the courage to humble themselves and ask for and accept help from others. Regardless of where readers are on their pregnancy after loss journey, Courageously Expecting is a companion to help them through the days when fear overshadows hope.

    Yet, so often, parents, educators, and caregivers have trouble communicating with kids. Conversations can feel trivial or strained--or worse, are marked by constant conflict.In The Art of Talking with Children, Rebecca Rolland, a Harvard faculty member, speech pathologist, and mother, arms adults with practical tools to help them have productive and meaningful conversations with children of all ages--whether it's engaging an obstinate toddler or getting the most monosyllabic adolescent to open up.With a winning combination of engaging storytelling, the most up-to-date research, and practical advice, The Art of Talking with Children is an essential blueprint that empowers parents to navigate everyday behavior issues, put an end to the battles, build better, more peaceful, and more fulfilling relationships, and set their children on the path to a successful adulthood.

    Instead of focusing on parenting techniques, it’s about who God is, who we are in light of that, and how God’s character gives form and shape to our parenting.Christina Fox wants you to explore the Scriptures with her and discover the goodness of the God who makes us His own. As God’s beloved creatures, we bear His image—that is, we show others who He is as we glorify Him. Is anything more important to pass on to our children than this? In Like Our Father, you’ll learn to parent in light of the timeless and profound truths that God:Is our adoptive FatherIs consistentProvides boundariesTeaches and trains usDisciplines usGives us what we needResponds patientlyLoves us unconditionallyThough it’s tempting to want a step-by-step instructional manual on how to raise kids, what you really need is a clearer, grander, bolder vision of your Heavenly Father. When you’ve got His character before your eyes, you’ll live it out in front of your kids. And as they share in your magnified vision of God, they’ll begin to live as the image-bearers that He made them to be.

    A mother surrendering her baby to the crows. A child consumed by lice from the inside out. A father sending his selkie daughter back to the sea. These flash stories and essays explore the whispered side of parenting — the loss, fear, vulnerability, and deep, deep love that lurks underneath our day-to-day lives as mothers and fathers. One glimpse into And If That Mockingbird Don’t Sing: Parenting Stories Gone Speculative, and you’ll never look at parenting in quite the same way again.

    Well-meaning parents, influenced by the diet culture that surrounds us all, are often concerned about how to best feed their children. Nearly everyone is talking about what to do about the childhood obesity epidemic. Meanwhile, every proposed solution for how to feed kids to promote health and prevent weight-related health concerns don’t mention the importance of one thing: a healthy relationship with food. The consequences can be disastrous and are indistinguishable from the predictable and well-researched impact that dieting has on adults. Weight cycling, low self-esteem, deviations from normal growth, and eating disorders are just some of the negative health effects children can experience from the fear-based approach to food and eating that has become the norm in our culture.Sumner Brooks and Amee Severson believe that parents want the best for their kids and know a parent’s job is to make them feel safe in the world and their bodies. They want them to grow up to be competent, healthy eaters, living their best lives in the bodies they were born to have. Intuitive Eating is more talked about than ever, and the time is now to make sure parents truly understand what it means to raise an intuitive eater. With a compassionate and relatable voice, How to Raise an Intuitive Eater is the only book of its kind to teach parents what they need to know to improve health, happiness, and wellbeing for the littlest among us.

    They need guidance, but they don’t want advice. They’ll chat with their friends, but not with you. Breaking the wall of silence with your teen can sometimes be difficult, but it’s possible to find connection and have really good talks when you know how. This supportive parenting book provides communication tools, advice, and relatable real-life stories that will help you get the conversation started and strengthen your relationship with your teen.What sets How to Talk to Your Teen About Anything apart from other books on parenting teens:Key communication skills—Learn essential communication techniques, including active listening and emotional regulation, and how to deal with communicating in the digital age.Teen parenting 101—Explore what teens want from life and how you can find a balance between discipline, support, and letting go.Recognize your patterns—Understand your patterns, and learn how to set healthy emotional boundaries that will help you prepare for things like sex education (aka “the talk”), and inspire your teen to open up about sensitive topics.Open the lines of communication and bond with them every day using How to Talk to Your Teen About Anything.

    But we cannot effectively shape our children's emotional well-being until we've addressed our own traumas and emotional needs.In It Starts with You, marriage and family therapist and parent coach Nicole Schwarz offers a nonjudgmental, shame-free guide to parenting children with a calm confidence. Working from a place of grace and compassion, she encourages us to explore how our history, thoughts, and assumptions impact our parenting decisions. Moving away from traditional discipline strategies, Schwarz focuses on the importance of having a calm brain, connected relationships, respectful conversations, and a coaching mindset with our kids.It Starts with You lays out a five-step process you can turn to whenever you're stuck in a difficult parenting situation. Each step is grounded in research and presented in a way that is easy to understand. Rather than adding unnecessary pressure, we learn that kids do not need perfect parents, but parents who are willing to learn, grow, and move forward with them in a positive direction.

    If you're overwhelmed and your kids are overstimulated, it's time to reset your space by applying the principles of the Montessori method at home so you can be a calmer, more attentive parent.Author and certified Montessori guide Ashley Yeh tackles each room of the home and explains how to provide young children with the accessibility they need to complete practical life skills on their own, tapping into their innate desire to do it myself. Whether your child is an infant, toddler, or preschooler, there are simple and inexpensive changes you can make to foster indpendence and reduce the stress around mealtimes, bedtime, and leaving the house.Includes:- Introduction to the Montessori method, which emphasizes whole-child development and learning through experience - How to apply Montessori principles throughout the home so that children are able to complete practical, everyday tasks on their own - Over 75 simple activities for ages 0-5 - Essential Montessori resources and materials with DIY options

    The truth is that life is never predictable, especially as parents. What is possible is your unlimited capacity for compassion, and caring—for yourself and for your children. As you navigate the uncertainty with openness and humility, you find the clarity, connection and community that is Zen Parenting. Using the seven chakras, therapist Cathy Cassani Adams discusses parenting issues such as school pressure, self-care, emotional intelligence, mental health, sexuality and gender, and more, while offering concrete examples and strategies to help you wake up to your life as a parent:​Chakra One—The Right to Be: Establish your physical, emotional, and mental foundationChakra Two—The Right to Feel: Practice creativity and how to access your emotionsChakra Three—The Right to Act: Establish a sense of self for yourself and your kids Chakra Four—The Right to Love and Be Loved: Experience openheartedness, empathy, and compassionChakra Five—The Right to Speak and Hear Truth: Discover genuine and meaningful communicationChakra Six—The Right to See: Explore mindfulness, meditation, and your own intuitionChakra Seven—The Right to Know: Connect to something greater than yourself “This book is my new favorite guide for parenting, to be sure. But it's also a master class in a life well-lived.”—Dr. John Duffy, author of Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety and The Available Parent

    The divorce rates are rising. More children are being raised in split up homes. But you didn’t think it would happen to you. Luckily, you’re not alone. Popular divorce coach Michelle Dempsey-Multack not only survived her own divorce, but figured out how to move on with her life, just like you will, too. Now happily remarried with a blended family, she’s living proof that no matter which “firsts” you might be experiencing as you end your marriage, and no matter how long you stayed with someone who didn’t meet your needs, your best days are ahead. Mom’s Moving On is filled with practical, actionable, and empowering advice from someone who has been through it and has come out the other side. Through Michelle’s guidance, you’ll learn how to navigate your divorce with confidence, adjust to life as a single mother, and shift your perspective to find your way back to your best self. From coparenting to dating as a single mother, you’ll learn how to truly move on and create the life you deserve.

    

    "Children are sure to remember the contrast between the darkness at the death of our Lord and the light-filled events from Christ's resurrection onward"--

    You and your crew will see the power of the gospel and learn how to effectively live it out every day.  Author Sarah Wells makes complicated terms easy to understand for kids ages 6 to 16 without diluting the truth. You will be enriched and encouraged as you lead times of fellowship and discipleship. Together, the family will learn to love others with the heart of Jesus and to share that love with the world.

    It’s a familiar scene: Parent offers a spoon, loaded with nutritious food; Baby turns their head away and starts crying. Enter responsive feeding. Recommended by the US Dept of Health and Human Services, the Academy of American Pediatrics, and UNICEF, responsive feeding is learning how to read your baby’s communication cues and your toddler’s often-very-strong preferences (hello two-year-olds!) rather than feeding them a predetermined amount.   Think of responsive feeding as a dance. For parents, it’s about engaging your baby, anticipating their moves, and taking turns to lead the choreography. The parent responds to baby’s communication and baby responds to theirs. Because the parent is in-tune and present in the moment, they will connect and flow, making for a joyful experience!   Using evidence-based strategies, feeding therapist and speech language pathologist Melanie Potock explains how to read your child’s cues to ensure happy mealtimes with happy kids. This book is designed to answer the most common questions about feeding babies and toddlers up to age three. It also debunks myths while offering practical tips on making mealtimes joyful and less stressful. It teaches a no-nonsense, straight-forward approach to responsive feeding that’s focused on nurturing trust and communication between parent and child.