Positive Parenting | Mr. Dad

Nadine Burke Harris, author of The Deepest Well. Topic: Healing the long-term effects of childhood adversity. Issues: ACEs (adverse childhood experiences)—what they are and the profound effects they have on children’s mental and physical health; the types of children that are at high risk of suffering from ACEs; how doctors, caregivers, and others can mitigate the impact of ACEs and give kids a better chance to grow into healthy adults.

Ken Keis, author of Quest for Purpose. Topic: A self-discovery process to find and live your purpose. Issues: Why meaning comes before purpose; the mindset required to succeed; identifying what you really value; learning what excites and interests you; your core passions; and many more steps that will help you live your purpose.

Thomas Armstrong, author of The Myth of the ADHD Child. Topic: How to improve your child’s behavior and attention span without drugs, labels, or coersion. Issues: Letting your child fidget or introducing wiggle furniture; teaching self-monitoring and self-regulation skills; reassessing diet to remove additives, allergens, and junk; alternative therapies such as music, aromas, and art; making time for play.

Adam Price, author of He’s Not Lazy. Topic: Empowering your son to believe in himself. Issues: Why do boys spend so much time playing video games or glued to their phones? Is it laziness or something worse? The societal and other obstacles that keep boys from engaging; how to set expectations and empower your son to accept responsibility for his own future; become your son’s ally as he discovers greater self-confidence and becomes more self-reliant.

Suzanne Bouffard, author of The Most Important Year. Topic: Pre-kindergarten and the future of our children. Issues: What do our littlest learners need in the earliest years of school? How do we ensure that they all have access to it? What teachers need to succeed; benefits to children of going through pre-k programs (better language, literacy, problem-solving, and math skills, better self-control, and much more).

Devorah Blachor, author of The Feminist’s Guide to Raising a Little Princess. Topic: How to raise a girl who’s authentic, joyful, and fearless, even if she refuses to wear anything but a pink tutu. Issues: What is a princess? Disney’s role in creating the princess crisis; why do so many girls gravitate towards pink? How parents can embrace their children’s obsession while also helping them reject the sexist messages that often accompany princess stories.

James Casale, author of Wise Up and Be the Solution. Topic: Creating a culture of learning at home that will make your child a success at school. Issues: How the modern education system doesn’t cater to the needs of individual children; how to be proactive and have more control over your children’s education; how to get children’s attention and limit distractions; how to understand and be prepared for parent-teacher conferences.

Amy Morin, author of 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do. Topic: Raising self-assured children and training their brain for a life of happiness, meaning, and success. Issues: Mentally strong parents don’t condone a victim mentality, don’t parent out of guilt, don’t make their child the center of the universe, don’t give their child power over them, don’t let their child avoid responsibility, don’t prevent their child from making mistakes, and many others.

Rob Bell, coauthor of Don’t “Should” on Your Kids. Topic: Building your children’s mental toughness. Issues: Why “sports is 90% mental” is 100% wrong; when and how to talk to your kids about their sports performance; helping kids find their passions in sports; when to push and when to back off.

Dr. Rebecca Carl, sports medicine specialist at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Topic: Myths and facts about head injuries and concussions. Issues: Why the benefits of playing sports often outweigh the risk of concussion; why girls are more likely to get concussions than boys; myths and realities about concussions.

Vanessa Lapointe, author of Discipline without Damage. Topic: How to get your kids to behave without messing them up. Issues: Why most of what parents learn about discipline is either wrong, damaging, or both; basic child development and brain science info to help you better discipine your child; a way to instinctively navigage challanging moments with ease.

Sally Freyer Dietz, author of When Kids Fly! Topic: Solutions for Children with Sensory Integration Challenges. Issues: How to know whenyou should worry whether there’s something wrong with your child; making sense of your child’s senses–and what they have to do with his or her development; how to be your child’s advocate; treatments to improve your child’s sensory motor development and function; the journey ahead.

R.J. Licata, author of 100 Lessons for Joey. Topic: 100 things to teach your son (or daughter) Issues: A collection of heartfelt advice on the importance of following one’s dreams and being a person of high character. This book is not only a loving tribute from a dad to his son, it is a thorough and timeless guide that will inspire a person of any age or walk of life to become the absolute best they can be. It serves as a reminder to us all that life is what we make it, and that there are no limits to our potential—except those we place on ourselves. Motivating and moving, “Lessons for Joey” will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will help you to realize that there is but one thing in this world more powerful than any other: love. Robert Zeitlin, author of Laugh More, Yell Less. Topic: A guide to raising kick-ass kids. Issues:Dr. Robert Zeitlin has dedicated the last 20 years to raising his kids, helping the children under his care, and working with parents to raise the children that the future needs. With his wife Betsy, Robert has raised two amazing teens who are kicking ass and taking names. Working in schools, with parents in his community, and through his clinical practice, Robert has maximized his background in Clinical Psychology to create family and school cultures that produce courageous leaders and communicators.

Katie Hurley, author of The Happy Kid Handbook. Topic: How to raise joyful children in a stressful world. Issues: Understanding childre’s personalities and temperaments; teaching children how to regulate their emotions; helping children discover the importance of empathy; teaching assertiveness skills; reducing children’s stress and anxiety; helping kids cope with frustration.

Karen Rayne, author of Girl. Topic: Love, sex, romance, and being herself. Issues: Biology, identity, and gender roles; attraction, dating, hooking up, starting and ending relationships; sex, STDs, pregnancy prevention.