Positive Parenting | Mr. Dad

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?

Paul Tough, author of Helping Children Succeed. Topic: What works to help low income kids and why. Issues: What does growing up in poverty do to children’s mental and physical health and development? How does adversity at home affect their success in the classroom? What practical steps can parents, teachers, and policymakers take to improve their chances for a positive future.

Michele Borba, author of Unselfie, Topic: Why empathetic kids succeed in our all-about-me world. Issues: The hidden advantage of empathy and why it matters for children; how to develop empathy; what empathetic kids do that non-empathetic kids don’t; developing moral courage; becoming an empathetic leader

Ira Chasnoff, author of The Mystery of Risk. Topic: Drugs, alcohol, pregnancy, and the vulnerable child. Issues: An overview of biological and environmental risks to newborns; risks to children exposed to marijuana, alcohol, and harder drugs in utero; behavior, memory, and other problems in drug-/alcohol-exposed children; diagnosing and treating drug-/alcohol-exposed children.

Catherine Pearlman, author of Ignore It! Topic: How selectively looking the other way can decrease behavior problems and increase parenting satisfaction. Issues: What behaviors are appropriate to ignore and what to do when ignoring isn’t an option; use ignoring to eliminate problem behavior in just a few days; creating a reward system that actually works; use time-outs effectively so they don’t become a battle of wills; what to do when mom and dad aren’t on the same page.

Michael Bennett and Sarah Bennett, authors of F*ck Love. Topic: Sensible advice for finding a lasting relationship. Issues: Reasons good people can’t find good partners; questions to which the answer is always “no”; how to prevent yourself from getting worn out by internet dating; the myth of the sense of humor; should my partner and I break up? what to consider before deciding to get divorced.

Richard Watts, author of Entitlemania. Topic: How not to spoil your kids, and what to do if you already have. Issues: Why it’s a mistake to be friends with your child; Do delay gratification, Do let your kids struggle; Do give memories instead of things DON’T sacrifice yourself to make life easier for them; DON’T share your estate plan with them; DON’T hand down too much.

Beau Lotto, author of Deviate. Topic: The science of seeing differently. Issues: Why we don’t see reality (and why our brains didn’t evolve to perform that function); how realizing that we aren’t seeing reality can make us more creative and innovative at work, home, play, and love; why we need to embrace uncertainty; how changing our environment changes the brain.

Mary Lamia, author of What Motivates Getting Things Done. Topic: Procrastination, emotions, and success. Issues: The differences between task-driven procrastinators and deadline-driven procrastinators; tools to turn agitation and annoyance into affirmation and acceptance; helping procrastinators jump-start their system and make the most out of their time; much more.

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.

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.

Vicki Hoefle, author of Parenting as Partners. Topic: How to launch your kids without ejecting your spouse. Issues: Why it’s important to explore childhood experiences and understand how they influence use as parents; how relationships with our parents and siblings affect our parenting style; the elements of day-to-day living that cause the most confusion and dissention; keys to implementing a cohesive and successful parenting plan. 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.

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.

Lisen Stromberg, author of Work, Pause, Thrive. Topic: How to pause for parenthood without killing your career. Issues: The politics of pausing; men want a place in the home; conscious careers, conscious choices; thriving: the career you deserve, the life you want; money matters; the need to prepare yourself and your career before you pause; what to do during your pause.