Collection: Parenting

Contemporary relationships are in a state of rapid evolution. These changes can and should empower people with the opportunity to develop partnerships based on their own sexualities, understandings, and agreements. This makes it possible to create what Kenneth Haslam, founder of the Kinsey Institute's Polyamory Archive, has called "designer relationships." Designer relationships may encompass: people who bond emotionally but not sexually; people who agree to be non-exclusive; single people who have occasional lovers or friends with benefits; multiple partner configurations where long-term bonds exist among all or some; partnerships in which people are kinky and that make room to explore kink. The possibilities are limitless, and thinking about a partnership as something people can craft allows for flexibility and change. Relationships can open and close or have varying degrees and kinds of openness as circumstances demand. In the context of a designer relationship, decisions are made mutually, consciously, and deliberately. Best-selling authors and nationally known relationship experts Patricia Johnson and Mark A. Michaels are exemplars of this life choice, and have studied polyamory for over 20 years. This book explains exactly how you and your loved ones can design your own life and love.

A groundbreaking approach to parenting by nationally-respected educator Alfie Kohn that gives parents "powerful alternatives to help children become their most caring, responsible selves" (Adele Faber, New York Times bestselling author) by switching the dynamic from doing things to children to working with them in order to understand their needs and how to meet them.

Most parenting guides begin with the question "How can we get kids to do what they're told?" and then proceed to offer various techniques for controlling them. In this truly groundbreaking book, nationally respected educator Alfie Kohn begins instead by asking, "What do kids need--and how can we meet those needs?" What follows from that question are ideas for working with children rather than doing things to them.

One basic need all children have, Kohn argues, is to be loved unconditionally, to know that they will be accepted even if they screw up or fall short. Yet conventional approaches to parenting such as punishments (including "time-outs"), rewards (including positive reinforcement), and other forms of control teach children that they are loved only when they please us or impress us. Kohn cites a body of powerful, and largely unknown, research detailing the damage caused by leading children to believe they must earn our approval. That's precisely the message children derive from common discipline techniques, even though it's not the message most parents intend to send.

More than just another book about discipline, though, Unconditional Parenting addresses the ways parents think about, feel about, and act with their children. It invites them to question their most basic assumptions about raising kids while offering a wealth of practical strategies for shifting from "doing to" to "working with" parenting--including how to replace praise with the unconditional support that children need to grow into healthy, caring, responsible people. This is an eye-opening, paradigm-shattering book that will reconnect readers to their own best instincts and inspire them to become better parents.

Are you the child of toxic parents?

When you were a child...

- Did your parents tell you you were bad or worthless?
- Did your parents use physical pain to discipline you?
- Did you have to take care of your parents because of their problems?
- Were you often frightened of your parents?
- Did your parents do anything to you that had to be kept secret?

Now that you're an adult...

- Do your parents still treat you as if you were a child?
- Do you have intense emotional or physical reactions after spending time with your parents?
- Do your parents control you with threats or guilt? Do they manipulate you with money?
- Do you feel that no matter what you do, it's never good enough for your parents?

In this remarkable self-help guide, Dr. Susan Forward draws on case histories and the real-life voices of adult children of toxic parents to help you free yourself from the frustrating patterns of your relationship with your parents -- and discover a new world of self-confidence, inner strength, and emotional independence.

Demystify ADHD with simple explanations of the basics and the latest research

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most globally prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders. ADHD For Dummies explores living a healthy and fulfilling life with ADHD, from seeking diagnosis to choosing the right treatment path for you or your loved one. You'll read about the latest in ADHD research, equipping you with valuable knowledge as you care for a child with ADHD or explore your own ADHD symptoms as an adult. This book provides the answers you need on how to deal with day-to-day challenges at home, school, and work, and how to find support and counseling. With appropriate management, anyone can live a great life with ADHD.

• Learn what ADHD is--and what it isn't
• Get up to date with the latest information on ADHD, including medications and non-medical treatments
• Find the right professional to help you get the support you or your children need

This is the perfect Dummies guide for both parents of children with ADHD and adults with ADHD looking to learn more. Teachers, counselors, and therapists--this is also a great resource to educate yourself and your clients.

A dedicated mom puts love into action as she creates the perfect rainbow-colored wig for her transgender daughter, based on the real-life experience of mother-daughter advocate duo Trinity and DeShanna Neal.

Warm morning sunlight and love fill the Neal home. And on one quiet day, playtime leads to an important realization: Trinity wants long hair like her dolls. She needs it to express who she truly is.

So her family decides to take a trip to the beauty supply store, but none of the wigs is the perfect fit. Determined, Mom leaves with bundles of hair in hand, ready to craft a wig as colorful and vibrant as her daughter is.

With powerful text by Trinity and DeShanna Neal and radiant art by Art Twink, My Rainbow is a celebration of showing up as our full selves with the people who have seen us fully all along.

Are You Going To Become A Dad For The First Time? Congratulations! Learn All You Need To Know With This Practical Guide.

If you are going to become a dad for the first time then you need to prepare yourself for that job. What better way to do that than with this amazing book in your hands.

Fatherhood can be very demanding. You can surely expect some sleepless nights and smelly diapers. But you can make it easier for yourself. This book will prepare you for every scenario, and you will always know what to do.

Find out what to expect from the moment you find out that your SO is pregnant. Starting with the stuff she will need to birth a healthy beautiful baby. Like what foods are best for her, what medical exams she will need, and everything else you should do to make it easier for her.

Baby is born, what now? Don't worry, this book will especially help you with that part. Discover the best ways to care for your newborn. Learn how to make a longterm plan for the future. Changes happen fast, and you will learn how to quickly adapt to them. Discover how to keep and improve romance with your SO.

With this incredible guide in your hands, you will make fatherhood look like a piece of cake. You will be doing everything right, and you won't even break a sweat!

Here's what you can find in this incredible guide:

Positive pregnancy test! What now? Learn what to expect while you are expecting, and how to prepare yourself for parenthood.Baby is coming! Find out how to take care of your SO during pregnancy and through delivery.Baby is here! Discover the best ways to take care of your newborn, and prepare yourself for every scenario there is.Aftercare?! When everything is done, find out how to rekindle the flame of romance and keep everything going smoothly.

As an author, educator, and public speaker, S. Bear Bergman has documented his experience as, among other things, a trans parent, with wit and aplomb. He also writes the advice column "Ask Bear," in which he answers crucial questions about how best to make our collective way through the world.

Featuring disarming illustrations by Saul Freedman-Lawson, Special Topics in Being a Human elaborates on "Asking Bear"'s premise: a gentle, witty, and insightful book of practical advice for the modern age. It offers Dad advice and Jewish bubbe wisdom, all filtered through a queer lens, to help you navigate some of the complexities of life--from how to make big decisions or make a good apology, to how to get someone's new name and pronouns right as quickly as possible, to how to gracefully navigate a breakup. With warmth and candor, Special Topics in Being a Human calls out social inequities and injustices in traditional advice-giving, validates your feelings, asks a lot of questions, and tries to help you be your best possible self with kindness, compassion, and humor.

OPRAH MAGAZINE'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023 NAMED ONE OF 6 VITAL NEW WORKS OF LGBTQ+ NONFICTION BY KIRKUS A BOOKLIST TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS OF 2023 SELECTION Marriage doesn't define a relationship. Unless you want it to. In Marry Me a Little, Rob Kirby recounts his experience of marrying his longtime partner, John, just after same-sex marriage was legalized in Minnesota in 2013, and two years before the Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges made same-sex marriage the law of the land. This is a personal story--about Rob's ambivalence (if not antipathy) toward the institution of marriage, his loving relationship with John, and the life that they share together--set against the historical and political backdrop of shifting attitudes toward LGBTQ+ rights and marriage. With humor, candor, and a near-whimsical drawing style, Rob relates how he and John navigated this changing landscape, how they planned and celebrated their wedding, and how the LGBTQ+ community is now facing the very real possibility of setbacks to marriage equality. Heartwarming, honest, and slyly humorous, Marry Me a Little is a wonderfully illustrated celebration of a romantic partnership between two men and a personal account of a momentous and historic moment in the fight for gay rights.

How to Dad is the perfect book for new and soon-to-be fathers -- because babies don't come with instructions (and if they did, you wouldn't read them anyway).

That's huge, because you could spend hundreds of hours reading thousands of pages on what you should expect when you bring a new life into this world, but you're a busy guy and you're barely halfway through this paragraph and already getting antsy. Thankfully, this book is a powerful weapon in your ongoing fight to get up to speed on what it means to be a father.

How to Dad distills essential tips and tricks for caring for your progeny (and partner) into detailed illustrations and simple descriptions of complex concepts as you can spend less time with your nose in a book and more time earning that #1 Dad coffee mug. Starting with the positive pregnancy test and covering every major moment you'll encounter through your child's first birthday, this illustrated guide includes expert insight from doctors and specialists as well as timeless advice from actual parents.

A written reference book could never hope to cover every aspect of what it meant to be a dad. That's why this one has pictures.

From the authors of The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline, an indispensable guide to unlocking your child's innate capacity for resilience, compassion, and creativity.

When facing contentious issues such as screen time, food choices, and bedtime, children often act out or shut down, responding with reactivity instead of receptivity. This is what New York Times bestselling authors Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson call a No Brain response. But our kids can be taught to approach life with openness and curiosity. When kids work from a Yes Brain, they're more willing to take chances and explore. They're more curious and imaginative. They're better at relationships and handling adversity. In The Yes Brain, the authors give parents skills, scripts, and activities to bring kids of all ages into the beneficial "yes" state. You'll learn

- the four fundamentals of the Yes Brain--balance, resilience, insight, and empathy--and how to strengthen them
- the key to knowing when kids need a gentle push out of a comfort zone vs. needing the "cushion" of safety and familiarity
- strategies for navigating away from negative behavioral and emotional states (aggression and withdrawal) and expanding your child's capacity for positivity

The Yes Brain is an essential tool for nurturing positive potential and keeping your child's inner spark glowing and growing strong.

Praise for The Yes Brain

"This unique and exciting book shows us how to help children embrace life with all of its challenges and thrive in the modern world. Integrating research from social development, clinical psychology, and neuroscience, it's a veritable treasure chest of parenting insights and techniques."--Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., author of Mindset

"I have never read a better, clearer explanation of the impact parenting can have on a child's brain and personality."--Michael Thompson, Ph.D.

"Easily assimilated and informative, the book will help adults enable children to lead physically and emotionally satisfying and well-rounded lives filled with purpose and meaningful relationships. Edifying, easy-to-understand scientific research that shows the benefits that accrue when a child is encouraged to be inquisitive, spirited, and intrepid."--Kirkus Reviews

A clear explanation of what empathy is, and understanding the emotions of those around you.

This is a book about empathy. Feelings aren't always easy, especially when they are other people's. This book teaches kids (and grownups) how to feel "with" someone, and not just for them.

This book teaches kids aged 5-9 to understand the importance of empathy, and how they can apply it to their everyday lives. Teaching about emotions can reduce conflict, miscommunications and misunderstandings, which can be helpful in life.

A Kids Book About Empathy features:

- A large and bold, yet minimalist font design that allows kids freedom to imagine themselves in the words on the pages.
- A friendly, approachable, yet empowering, kid-appropriate tone throughout.
- An incredible and diverse group of authors in the series who are experts or have first-hand experience of the topic.

Tackling important discourse together!

The A Kids Book About series are best used when read together. Helping to kickstart challenging, empowering, and important conversations for kids and their grownups through beautiful and thought-provoking pages. The series supports an incredible and diverse group of authors, who are either experts in their field, or have first-hand experience on the topic.

A Kids Co. is a new kind of media company enabling kids to explore big topics in a new and engaging way. With a growing series of books, podcasts and blogs, made to empower. Learn more about us online by searching for A Kids Co.

This title is a simple introduction to mindfulness. During challenging times, children can feel quite anxious. Learning mindfulness techniques from a young age will help them build resilience and reduce anxiety and stress as they grow into adulthood. Discussion questions for parents, caregivers and educators included. Suitable for ages 2 to 6. This book is part of the Little BIG Chats series.

The Little BIG Chats series has been written to assist parents, caregivers and educators to have open and age-appropriate conversations with early learners around crucial, and yet at times, 'tough' topics. And what better way than using children's picture books! Some pages will have questions for your child to interact with and discuss. Feel free to use these questions and the Discussion Questions provided on the inside back cover of each book to help you assist your child with the topic being explored. Stop at any time to unpack the text together; and try to follow your child's lead wherever that conversation may take you!

Suitable for ages 2 to 6.

There are 12 books in the Little BIG Chats series:

• Empathy: Exploring the meaning of empathy and kindness
• I Always Try: Developing a growth mindset of resilience and persistence
• Feelings: Understanding different feelings and emotions
• Everyone is Equal: Introducing the importance of gender equality and diversity
• Around the World: Celebrating the importance of racial equality and diversity
• Mindfulness: Exploring the importance of mindfulness and learning calming skills
• Families: Celebrating diversity in families
• Consent: Introducing consent and body boundaries
• My Safety Network: Introducing a Safety Network (3 to 5 trusted adults a child can go to if they feel unsafe)
• My Early Warning Signs: Exploring Early Warning Signs and what to do if a child experiences these signs
• Private Parts are Private: Learning private parts are private and what to do if touched inappropriately
• Secrets and Surprises: Learning the difference between secrets and surprises

The Body Safety titles should ideally be read in the following order:

Consent, My Safety Network, My Early Warning Signs,

Private Parts are Private, and Secrets and Surprises.

The remaining titles can be read in any order.

Expand your sensual horizons with 640 pages of photo-illustrated sex positions ranging from simple to advanced, intimate to kinky.

Packed with 291 passion-igniting positions, The Position Sex Bible takes sex from predictable to over the top. Whether you and your partner are just beginning your sexual adventures, looking to break out of a same-old-position rut, or ready take your bedroom repertoire to the next level, this complete guide showcases every position available.

With concise instructions and a full-color photograph for each position, this pleasure tome is organized into ten sections--Bed Action, Back Door Policy, On the Edge, The Standing O, Chair Action, Foreplay and Oral Sex, Advanced Positions, At the Office, Toys, Advanced Foreplay and Oral Sex, Taking It to Another Level, Advanced Toys, and Swing Time! From twists on traditional favorites to the straight-up exotic, positions include:

• The Kissing Lotus
• Snake Trap
• The Corkscrew
• The Hoover Upright
• Tunnel of Love
• The Door Jam
• Cupid's Bow
• Purrfect Plunge

At the back of the book, a handy checklist with a thumbnail visual of each position for quick reference also allows you to keep track of the positions as you enjoy them.

Spice up your sex life with The Position Sex Bible.

An exceptional father-son story from the National Book Award-winning author of Between the World and Me about the reality that tests us, the myths that sustain us, and the love that saves us.

Paul Coates was an enigmatic god to his sons: a Vietnam vet who rolled with the Black Panthers, an old-school disciplinarian and new-age believer in free love, an autodidact who launched a publishing company in his basement dedicated to telling the true history of African civilization. Most of all, he was a wily tactician whose mission was to carry his sons across the shoals of inner-city adolescence--and through the collapsing civilization of Baltimore in the Age of Crack--and into the safe arms of Howard University, where he worked so his children could attend for free.

Among his brood of seven, his main challenges were Ta-Nehisi, spacey and sensitive and almost comically miscalibrated for his environment, and Big Bill, charismatic and all-too-ready for the challenges of the streets. The Beautiful Struggle follows their divergent paths through this turbulent period, and their father's steadfast efforts--assisted by mothers, teachers, and a body of myths, histories, and rituals conjured from the past to meet the needs of a troubled present--to keep them whole in a world that seemed bent on their destruction.

With a remarkable ability to reimagine both the lost world of his father's generation and the terrors and wonders of his own youth, Coates offers readers a small and beautiful epic about boys trying to become men in black America and beyond.

Praise for The Beautiful Struggle

"I grew up in a Maryland that lay years, miles and worlds away from the one whose summers and sorrows Ta-Nehisi Coates evokes in this memoir with such tenderness and science; and the greatest proof of the power of this work is the way that, reading it, I felt that time, distance and barriers of race and class meant nothing. That in telling his story he was telling my own story, for me."--Michael Chabon, bestselling author of The Yiddish Policemen's Union and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

"Ta-Nehisi Coates is the young James Joyce of the hip hop generation."--Walter Mosley

Revised for the twenty-fifth anniversary of its publication, Alfie Kohn's landmark challenge to carrot-and-stick psychology features updated reflections and research in a major new afterword by the author.

Our basic strategy for raising children, teaching students, and managing workers can be summed up in six words: Do this and you'll get that. We dangle goodies (from candy bars to sales commissions) in front of people in the same way that we train the family pet.

Since its publication in 1993, this groundbreaking book has persuaded countless parents, teachers, and managers that attempts to manipulate people with incentives may seem to work in the short run, but they ultimately fail and even do lasting harm. Drawing from hundreds of studies, Kohn demonstrates that we actually do inferior work when we are enticed with money, grades, or other incentives--and are apt to lose interest in whatever we were bribed to do.

Promising goodies to children for good behavior, meanwhile, can never produce anything more than temporary obedience. Even praise can become a verbal bribe that gets kids hooked on our approval.

Rewards and punishments are two sides of the same coin--and the coin doesn't buy much. What is needed, Kohn explains, is an alternative to both ways of controlling people. Hence, he offers practical strategies for parents, teachers, and managers to replace carrots and sticks.

Seasoned with humor and familiar examples, Punished by Rewards presents an argument that is unsettling to hear but impossible to dismiss.

An indispensable survival manual for men entering the trenches of fatherhood, Be Prepared is loaded with one-of-a-kind insights, MacGyver-esque tips and tricks, and no-nonsense advice for mastering the first year as a dad.

Finally, a book that teaches men all the things they really need to know about fatherhood...including how to:

-Change a baby at a packed sports stadium
-Create a decoy drawer full of old wallets, remote controls, and cell phones to throw baby off the scent of your real gear
-Stay awake (or at least upright) at work
-Babyproof a hotel room in four minutes flat
-Construct an emergency diaper out of a towel, a sock, and duct tape

Packed with helpful diagrams and detailed instructions, and delivered with a wry sense of humor, Be Prepared is the ultimate guide for sleep-deprived, applesauce-covered fathers everywhere.