Positive Parenting | Mr. Dad

Digger O’Brien, author of Pointing is Rude. Topic: One father’s story of autism, adoption, and acceptance. Issues: Coping with an unexpected diagnosis; close encounters with medical quacks; juggling the needs of an autistic child and two non-autistic children; why adopting another child turned out to be the best thing they’d ever done.

Lea Waters, author of The Strength Switch. Topic: How the new science of strength-based parenting can help your child to flourish. Issues: Understanding strengths; the ages and stages of strength growth; building strength through attention, savoring, gratitude, and goofing off; strength-based living in the real world; much more.

Robert Davis, author of Fitter Faster. Topic: The smart way to get in shape in just minutes a day. Issues: How to motivate yourself; what you need to know about aerobic exercise, strength training, and stretching; get more out of exercise with high-intensity interval training; myths and truths about exercise and fitness.

Jack Gilbert, author of Dirt is Good. Topic: The advantage of germs for your child’s developing immune system. Issues: The microbiome; the importance of the bacteria that live inside us across the lifespan (but especially in childhood); where does our microbiome come from? The effects of diet, antibiotics, probiotics, and more; physical, emotional, and psychological effects of the microbiome; the dangers of antibacterial soaps and attempts to keep our children’s environment super clean; more.

Jed Diamond, author of The Enlightened Marriage. Topic: Transformative states of relationships and why the best is still to come. Issues: The five stages of marriage—and why too many couples stop at stage 3; making a commitment to love; how healing childhood trauma can save your marriage; why incompatibility can be a good thing; differences in male and female communication; differences between male and female depression; understanding age-related change; more.

Lisa Feldman Barrett, author of How Emotions are Made. Topic: The secret life of the brain. Issues: Why everything we think we know about emotions is wrong; the origins of feeling; how the brain makes emotions; gender difference (hint: there aren’t very many); emotions and the law; emotions and illness; emotions and language; emotions as social reality; much more.

Scott Sonenshein, author of Stretch. Topic: How doing less can help you achieve more than you ever imagined. Issues: The difference between chasing (after big house, big car, big salary, etc) and stretching (reaching our goals through the science of resourcefulness); simple ways to start stretching right now; examples of stretching in sports, entertainment, etc; how to avoid overstretching; much more.

Michael Bradley, author of Crazy Stressed. Topic: Saving todays overwhelmed teens with love, laughter, and the science of resilience. Issues: Understanding what’s wrong with the teen brain, teen culture, and the world they live in; what resilience is and why it’s so important; common resilience challenges such as behavior, school, sex and dating, and social issues.

Myrna Shure, author of Thinking Parent, Thinking Child. Topic: Turning everyday problems into solutions. Issues: Techniques to help children cope with common feelings such as anger, frustration, fear, loss, and self esteem; handling and preventing problems around bedtime, possessiveness, defiance, aggression, and risky behavior; nurturing relationships (including sibling rivalry); much more.

Christa Tinari, co-author of Create a Culture of Kindness in Middle School. Topic: Character building lessons to foster respect and prevent bullying. Issues: Core lessons about kindness; fostering courage, kindness, and empathy; celebrating uniqueness and accepting differences; dealing with conflict; copying with and counteracting bullying; much more.

Keith Terry, co-author of Rhythm of Math. Topic: A kinesthetic approach to teaching mathematics. Issues: Using clapping, stepping, and vocalizing to explore patterns and internalize rhythms; how students can learn essential math concepts—addition, multiplication, subtraction, division, and fractions—by using their hands, feet, and voice in a way that engages them mentally and physically.

Elizabeth King, author of Acing the ACT. Topic: An elite tutor’s guide to strategies and understanding that make a big difference. Issues: The ACT is now more popular than the SAT; difference between the two tests; advantages of the ACT; the difference between a tricky question and a trick question; strategies to ensure that you get the best possible score.

Sara Connell, author of Bringing in Finn. Topic: An extraordinary surrogacy story. Issues: One woman’s story of the tragedy and heartbreak of infertility and losing pregnancies, and the process of opening her heart and mind to the idea of her 60-year old mother carrying her child for her.

Robert Melillo, author of Disconnected Kids. Topic: Balancing the brains of kids with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurological disorders. Issues: How the developing mind is wired; what causes left- and right-brain disconnect; identifying left- or right-brain deficiency; (re)training the brain through physical stimulation.

Isaac Lidsky, author of Eyes Wide Open. Topic: Overcoming obstacles and recognizing opportunities in a world that doesn’t see clearly. Issues: Tackling fears in moments of extreme change; taking ownership of your mental capability to shape your own reality; focusing your viewpoint with regard to purported weaknesses; is there such a thing as luck? How to listen with your eyes wide open to understand what others are communicating.