Straight Forward Parenting - Social and Emotional Development

Social and Emotional Development

If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older. -Abraham Sutzkever

The Optimistic Child.
by Martin Seligman

This book offers parents and teachers the tools developed to teach children of all ages that transform helplessness into genuine self-esteem. Learning the basics of optimism reduces the risk of depression but boosts school performance, improves physical health, and provides children with the self-reliance skills.

How To Raise A Child With A High EQ.
by Lawrence Shapiro

In our world, emotional Intelligence is at times more important than Intellectual Intelligence when is comes to working with people. Lawrence Shapiro gives many different strategies and concrete information that parents can utilize when working with their children to become more emotionally resilient.

Different Children Different Needs: The Art of Adjustable Parenting.
by Charles F. Boyd, David Boehi

This book addresses critical parenting issues, using the DISC personality assessment system to help you better understand, accept, and appreciate your children's temperaments. This book is written in a Christian perspective and gives many positive ways of working with your child's natural personality style.

My Many Colored Days.
by Dr. Seuss

This rhyming story is a wonderful way for parents to talk with children about their feelings. Each day is described in terms of a particular color, which in turn is associated with specific emotions. Using a spectrum of vibrant colors and a menagerie of animals, this unique book does for the range of human moods and emotions what Oh, the Places You'll Go! does for the human life cycle.

Your Anxious Child: How Parents and Teachers Can Relieve Anxiety in Children.
by John S. Dacey, Lisa B. Fiore, George T. Ladd

Lots of kids are scared of the dark--and of monsters hiding under the bed and a whole host of other imaginary things. In some children, such worries can intensify to unbearable levels, and that's when parents need to turn to "Your Anxious Child," which offers gentle ways to soothe that wrinkled brow.

Sticks and Stones: 7 Ways Your Child Can Deal with Teasing, Conflict, and Other Hard Times.
by Scott Cooper

Sticks and Stones helps parents teach kids how to speak up for themselves more assertively, gently, and effectively. Each chapter, based on the characteristics of a particular bird, uses a wealth of examples and imaginative exercises to give kids the confidence to speak truth to power.

This unique guide, beautifully illustrated with line drawings of each bird and informed by the author's gentle humor, will help kids be effective communicators and includes easy-to-follow exercises and sample scripts. Examples include: shut down bullies (The Way of the Blue Jay), overcome shyness (The Way of the Black Bird), counter peer pressure (The Way of the Hummingbird), resolve fights (The Way of the Dove), accept blame (The Way of the Crow), and more!

Helping The Child Who Doesn't Fit In.
by Stephan Nowicki, and Marshall Duke

This book is a great resource for parents and teachers working with children who are experiencing social rejection. It gives practical solutions and even assignments and suggestions to complete at the end of each chapter.

Raising Your Spirited Child : A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic.
by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka

The spirited child--often called "difficult" or "strong-willed"--can easily overwhelm parents, leaving them feeling frustrated and inadequate. Spirited kids are, in fact, simply "more"--by temperament, they are more intense, sensitive, perceptive, persistent, and uncomfortable with change than the average child. Through vivid examples and a refreshingly positive viewpoint, Mary Sheedy Kurcinka offers parents emotional support and proven strategies for handling their spirited child.

Max, the Stubborn Little Wolf.
by Marie-Odile Judes, illustrated by Martine Bourre

Max's father knows exactly what young wolves should be when they grow up: hunters. But to his horror, his stubborn and unconventional son has something entirely different in mind. Not since "The Story of Ferdinand" has there been a character so sweetly determined to march to the beat of his own drummer, and Martine Bourre's endearing, cleverly detailed illustrations are a perfect match for the warmly nuances, gently repetitious text.

What Stories Does My Son Need : A Guide to Books and Movies That Build Character in Boys.
by Michael Gurian, Terry Trueman

Your son is constantly bombarded by conflicting images of masculinity in the media. How best to sort out those messages in a way that will reinforce a positive male identity? The author suggests books and movies to enhance your son's view of himself as a man.

Up to No Good: The Rascally Things Boys Do.
by Kitty Harmon (Editor), Heather Gilson (Photographer), Kitty Harman

Boys will be boys. Which is to say they will be naughty. Up to No Good is a charming look at the "rascally things boys do," with fun black-and-white photos of a diverse assortment of lads and anecdotes related by now-grown men about their youthful exploits. (Last names have been omitted to protect the guilty.) John, born in 1959 in Connecticut, remembers kissing rocks and throwing them at his favorite girls. Peter (1964, New York) recalls making a nun scream by smearing ketchup on his shirt and pretending to have jumped out his Catholic school window. Mark (1960, Ohio) admits to pocketing a dissected pig snout in biology class and reattaching it to a school water fountain. The stories evoke a more innocent time, when sticks and stones were the principal weapons, and a prank could be forgiven if imaginative enough. Up to No Good makes a fine gift book for Dad or that particularly mischievous fellow we all know.

Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys.Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys.
by Daniel J. Kindlon, Michael Thompson, Ph.D., Dan Kindlon, Ph.D

Boys will be boys. But not when their emotional lives are squelched by restrictive definitions of masculinity, argue the authors of "Raising Cain," which does for boys what Mary Pipher's groundbreaking "Reviving Ophelia" did for girls.

Bad Girls.
by Jacqueline Wilson

Mandy White hates looking 8 years old when she's really 10. She's tired of her babyish blond braids and bunny sweaters. Most of all, though, she's had it with being her same old boring self. British author Jacqueline Wilson has deftly captured the voice and musings of a 10-year-old in transition. Her discussion of issues like bullying and foster care is leavened with humor and sensitivity, without seeming condescending or didactic. Mandy White joins the ranks of Amber Brown and Anastasia for girls in their "tween" years.

Raising Our Athletic Daughters: How Sports Can Build Self-Esteem and Save Girls' Lives.
by Jean Zimmerman, Gil Reavill

Now in paperback, this Amazon.com bestseller is both a comprehensive look at the role of sports in the lives of girls as well as a sourcebook for the parents of athletic girls.

See Jane Win.
by Sylvia Rimm, Sara Rimm-Kaufman, Ilona Rimm, Dr Sylvia Rimm, Ilonna Jane Rimm

Noted child psychologist Sylvia Rimm, along with her daughters, a research psychologist and a pediatric oncology researcher, conducted a three-year survey of more than a thousand successful women to uncover what elements of their childhood and adolescence contributed to their success -- and how today's parents can give their own daughters the same advantages.

Connecting With Your Children: Guiding Principles for Parents in a Troubled World.
by Roberta M. Gilbert

An innovative and practical approach to parenting Research is showing that if parents can "connect" with their children, it will help safeguard them against the dangers of substance abuse, sexual promiscuity, committing crimes, and suicide. But what does making a connection mean? Based on Bowen family system theory, this book shows parents how to work toward better relationships, a task more important then ever before because of the challenges posed by today's society. Fundamental to improving the success of a family unit is recognizing how the problems of children originate from within the emotional unit called the family. This theory is clearly presented along with numerous practical examples and stories that illustrate how parents can deal with such problems of the young as poor school performance, addictions, and emotional and physical problems. Roberta Gilbert, MD (Washington, DC), is a psychiatrist in private practice and on the faculty of the Georgetown Family Center. She is also the author of Extraordinary Relationships.

The Whole Child/ Whole Parent.
by Polly Berrien Berends, M. Scott Peck

Pioneer work on spiritual development and a classic guide to parenthood that goes beyond the basics of child rearing to consider the path of both parent and child toward inner growth and wholeness.

Touchpoints: The Essential Reference.
by T. Berry, M.D. Brazelton

From pregnancy to first grade, all concerns and questions that parents have about their child's behavior, feelings, and development are anticipated and answered in both chronological and reference form. "Touchpoints" are universal spurts of development and the trying periods of regression that accompany children through childhood.

Your Child's Self-Esteem.
by Dorothy Corkille Briggs

Step by step guidelines for raising responsible, productive, happy children. This book is appropriate for all human relationships and helps to create strong feelings of self-worth in the developing self-image of a child.

MegaSkills.
by Dorothy Rich

Dr. Rich translates serious concerns about American education into practical action that every family should take. It helps parents teach the values we all held dear, the ones we are worried about and may have thought could not be taught. Responsibility, effort, initiative-these qualities determine academic and personal success in school and beyond.

How To Help Children With Common Problems.
by Charles Schaefer and Howard Millman

This is a great book for parents because it gives very helpful strategies for helping children with specific problems. It gives step-by-step interventions when working with difficult situations.

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