Positive Parenting | Mr. Dad

Joy Masoff, author of Oh, Ick! and John Austin: author of Labcraft Wizards. Topic: Making science fun. Issues: Snot sandwiches, burp factories, and other science experiments guaranteed to gross you out; Dragon eggs, stacking water, and other magical projects and experiments; encouraging girls to get involved in math and science; how scientists and writers collaborate to create engaging, fun activities.

Michele Borba, author of The 6 Rs of Bullying Prevention. Topic: Best proven practices to combat cruelty and build respect. Issues: A framework for reducing peer cruelty; concrete methods for increasing positive behavior and promoting kindness; strategies for mobilizing parents and students; guidelines for forming a bullying prevention team and creating an anti-bullying policy.

Jessica Lamb-Shapiro, author of Promise Land. Topic: One woman’s journey through America’s self-help culture. Issues: Overcoming phobias and fears; walking on hot coals; coping with grief at the saddest camp in the world; the trouble with the Law of Attraction; the best and the worst of the self-help gurus.

Lauren Sandler, author of One and Only. Topic: The freedom of having an only child, and the joy of being one. Issues: What are only children really like? Debunking stereotypes and myths about “onlies”; the benefits to children, relationships, and society of having–and being–an only child.

Caitlin Flanagan, author of an article in the Atlantic magazine, “How Helicopter Parents Cause Binge Drinking.” Topic: Why the way some white professionals raise their children is exacerbating an alcohol problem on some U.S. college campuses. Issues: The difference between college drinking in the 1970s and today; the difference between “good parents” and “get-real parents”; how top colleges reward intensity and how binge drinking is a perfect form of that quality; why black students drink less than students of any other race.

Devorah Heitner, author of Screenwise. Topic: Helping kids thrive and survive in their digital world. Issues: The differences between “digital natives” and “digital immigrants,” assessing your own digital literacy; becoming a tech-positive parent; friendship and dating in the digital age; how much screen time do kids really have? the “forever” nature of the Internet; where do we go from here?

William Miller, author of The Microcosm Within. Topic: Vaccination amnesia Issues: A brief history of vaccines and the diseases they’ve eradicated or controlled; what is “herd immunity” and how it’s saving your life; Wakefield and his fraudulent research on vaccines–and why it’s so dangerous; why people refuse vaccines and the dangers they’re exposing their kids to.

Ross Greene, author of Raising Human Beings. Topic: Creating a collaborative partnership with your child. Issues: We need to figure out who our children are—what their skills, values, beliefs, personality traits, goals, and directions are—get comfortable with that, then help them pursue a life that fits with all those things.

Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of How to Raise an Adult. Topic: How to break free of the overparenting trap and prepare your kid for success. Issues: What we’re doing now and what overparenting looks like; the devastating results of overparenting (lack of life skills, psychological harm; damaged job prospects, substance abuse, and more); what we need to be doing instead (give them unstructured time, teach life skills, teach kids how to think, and more).

Robert Melillo, author of The Disconnected Kids Nutrition Plan. Topic: Proven strategies to enhance learning and focus for children with autism and other neurological disorders. Issues: Recognize the difference between a fussy eater and a problem eater; ease the sensory issues that make for mealtime mayhem; identify food sensitivities using elimination diet; choose supplements that will ensure adequate amounts of specific vitamin and minerals for brain health.

Paula Fass, author of The End of American Childhood. Topic: A history of parenting from life on the frontier to the managed child. Issues: How the American understanding of childhood differs from that of many other countries; how the way we raise our children mirrors the way our society and culture has developed; why childhood lasts a lot longer now than it did 150 years ago or so; and much more.

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?

Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabes, 3rd edition. Topic: Helping your daughter survive cliques, gossip, boys, and the new realities of girl world. Issues: How to tell what role your daughter plays and how to help her be herself; examining your own parenting style and how you relate to your daughter; the powerful and complicated role of technology in girl world; girls’ power plays; good popularity vs. bad popularity.

Mai Vu, author of The Divorced Mom’s Guide to Datingg. @HotLifeHotLove Topic: How to be loved, adored, and cherished. Issues: The biggest question that tired, overwhelmed single moms struggle with: “Why do I work so hard, but I’m not getting the love, success, and support that I want?”

Allison Carmen, author of The Gift of Maybe. @giftofmaybe Topic: Finding hope and possibility in uncertain times. Issues: Reducing stress and anxiety; viewing uncertainty as a place of hope; creating more opportunities in life; minimizing self-doubt as an obstacle to moving forward; finding joy in the moment.