Download or read book Parenting Matters written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2016-11-21 with total page 525 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.

Download or read book Chaos and Its Influence on Children s Development written by Gary W. Evans and published by Amer Psychological Assn. This book was released on 2010-01 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores how, why and at what level chaos at the familial and societal level affects children. It uses Urie Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory of human development as the means to understand the nature of relations between chaos and development.

Download or read book Family Routines and Rituals written by Barbara H. Fiese and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While family life has conspicuously changed in the past fifty years, it would be a mistake to conclude that family routines and rituals have lost their meaning. In this book Barbara H. Fiese, a clinical and developmental psychologist, examines how the practices of diverse family routines and the meanings created through rituals have evolved to meet the demands of today’s busy families. She discusses and integrates various research literatures and draws on her own studies to show how family routines and rituals influence physical and mental health, translate cultural values, and may even be used therapeutically. Looking at a range of family activities from bedtime stories to special holiday meals, Fiese relates such occasions to significant issues including parenting competence, child adjustment, and relational well-being. She concludes by underscoring the importance of flexible approaches to family time to promote healthier families and communities.

Download or read book Two Homes One Childhood written by Robert E. Emery Ph.D. and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016-08-09 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A paradigm-shifting model of parenting children in two homes from an internationally recognized expert. A researcher, therapist, and mediator, Robert Emery, Ph.D., details a new approach to sharing custody with children in two homes. Huge numbers of children are affected by separation, divorce, cohabitation breakups, and childbearing outside of marriage. These children have two homes. But their parents have only one chance to protect their childhood. Building on his 2004 book The Truth About Children and Divorce and a strong evidence base, including his own research, Emery explains that a parenting plan that lasts a lifetime is one that grows and changes along with children’s—and families’—developing needs. Parents can and should work together to renegotiate schedules to best meet the changing needs of children from infancy through young adult life. Divided into chapters that address the specific needs of children as they grow up, Emery: • Introduces his Hierarchy of Children’s Needs in Divorce • Provides specific advice for successful parenting, starting with infancy and reaching into emerging adulthood • Advocates for joint custody but notes that children do not count minutes and neither should parents • Highlights that there is only one “side” for parents to take in divorce: the children’s side Himself the father of five children, one from his first marriage, Emery brings a rare combination of personal and professional insight and guidance for every parent raising a child in two homes.

Download or read book Parenting Outside the Lines written by Meghan Leahy and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2022-02-08 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No-nonsense, sanity-saving insights from the Washington Post on Parenting columnist--for anyone who's drowning in parental pressure and advice that doesn't work. Ever feel overwhelmed by the stress and perfectionism of our overparenting culture--and at the same time, still look for solutions to ease the struggles of everyday family life? Parenting coach and Washington Post columnist Meghan Leahy feels your pain. Like her clients and readers, she grew weary of the endless "shoulds" of modern parenting--along with the simplistic rules and advice that often hurt more than help. Filled with insights based on child development and hard-won lessons in the trenches, this honest guide presents a new approach, offering permission to practice imperfect parenting with a strong dose of common sense, empathy, and laughter. You'll gain perspective on trusting your gut, picking your battles, and when to question what's "normal" (as opposed to what works best for your child). Forget impossible standards and dogma, and serving organic salmon to four-year-olds. Forget helicopters, tiger moms, and being "mindful" in the middle of a meltdown (your child's or your own). Instead, discover relatable insights for staying connected to your child and true to the parent you want to be (and already are).

Download or read book Handbook of Social Development written by Vincent B. Van Hasselt and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-11 with total page 605 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social development over one's lifetime is a complex area that has received consider able attention in the psychological, social-psychological, and sociological literature over the years. Surprisingl~ however, since 1969, when Rand McNally published Goslin's Handbook of Socialization, no comprehensive statement of the field has appeared in book form. Given the impressive data in this area that have been adduced over the last two decades, we trust that our handbook will serve to fill that gap. In this volume we have followed a lifespan perspective, starting with the social interactions that transpire in the earliest development stages and progressing through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and, finall~ one's senior years. In so doing we cover a variety of issues in depth. The book contains 21 chapters and is divided into five parts: I, Theoretical Perspectives; II, Infants and Toddlers; ill, Children and Adolescents; Iv, Adults; and V, The Elderly. Each of the parts begins with introductory material that reviews the overall issues to be considered. Many individuals have contributed to the final production of this handbook. Foremost are our eminent contributors, who graciously agreed to share with us their expertise. We also thank our administrative and technical staff for their assistance in carrying out the day-to-day tasks necessary to complete such a project. Finall~ we thank Eliot Werner, Executive Editor at Plenum, for his willingness to publish and for his tolerance for the delays inevitable in the development of a large handbook.

Download or read book A Mother s Guide to Raising Herself written by Sarah Bragg and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2021-08-17 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For any mom who has ever felt inadequate, overwhelmed, or guilty in trying to balance it all, popular podcaster Sarah Bragg offers brilliant clarity and respite in this friendly manual for becoming your most authentic self, instead of just surviving motherhood. Nothing will make you grow up faster than trying to raise a kid. This is what popular podcast host and mom Sarah Bragg explores so beautifully as she encourages and equips moms who are discovering all the ways they still need to grow. It's easy to lose our sense of self in the all-consuming process of raising our children, but Sarah reminds us that the best gift we can bring to our kids is our true, authentic selves. Through vulnerable and relatable stories, no-nonsense wisdom, and a compassionate perspective for all the joys and challenges of motherhood, Sarah provides shame-free practical help to surviving right where you are in life, in relationships, in work, and in faith. This guidebook to health and sanity for the wilderness of parenting will help you: Give yourself permission and find the courage to show up as yourself Wrestle with how purpose, work, and calling fit together Notice and celebrate the good that's happening right around you Remember your worth is not in your kids or your role as a parent but in something far more lasting Find solidarity, understanding, and helpful encouragement to embrace all that motherhood is and remember who you truly are. Because you matter, and raising great kids starts with raising yourself well.

Download or read book The Family Life Project written by Lynne Vernon-Feagans and published by Wiley-Blackwell. This book was released on 2013-11-04 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This monograph covers the Family Life Project studying a representative sample of every baby born to a mother who resided in one of six poor rural counties over a one year period, oversampling for poverty and African American. 1,292 children were followed from birth to 36 months of age. This study examines the relation between social risk and children's executive functioning, language development, and behavioral competence at 36 months.

Download or read book Babies Don t Make Small Talk So Why Should I The Introvert s Guide to Surviving Parenthood written by Julie Vick and published by The Countryman Press. This book was released on 2021-08-10 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A baby can be a good excuse to skip a party, but . . . goodbye alone time, hello awkward new social obligations. All parents want the same things: to balance work and home life, to raise happy kids, to never attend a baby drumming class, and to build a secret room in their home where they can hide (preferably not the bathroom). Yes, an introverted parent would more keenly want to be free of the slew of attention and expectations that accompany both pregnancy and parenthood, but even the most outgoing person is sure to reach their limit eventually. Here, with laugh-out-loud humor and well-earned experience, Julie Vick offers coping mechanisms for everything from sharing the news that you are becoming a parent to the moment the baby is born (one way or another, it will happen), from managing doctor’s visits to handling playdates. She offers advice on finding childcare and ignoring the nursing versus formula conversation with strangers. Witty yet valuable, her tips, checklists, and the occasional chart focus on the time from pregnancy through preschool.

Download or read book The Role of Family Literacy Environments in Promoting Young Children s Emerging Literacy Skills written by Pia Rebello Britto and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 2001-07-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The research collected in this new issue seeks to identify whichaspects of family literacy environments promote children's emergingliteracy and which experiences in the home facilitate thedevelopment of children's literacy skills. This issue presents aninnovative model of emergent literacy in which written language, atall levels of specificity, is at the center of the construct ofemergent literacy. In addition, studies presented in this issuehighlight the association between child and family literacy acrossage and socioeconomic background. These studies demonstrate thespecificity of associations between family literacy environmentsand young children's emerging literacy skills, showing that theparticular type of literacy interaction influences the particularliteracy skill being developed. This is the 92nd issue of the Jossey-Bass series NewDirections for Child and Adolescent Development.

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Poverty and Child Development written by Valerie Maholmes, Ph.D., CAS Ph.D. and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2012-04-01 with total page 750 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over 15 million children live in families subsisting below the federal poverty level, and there are nearly 4 million more children living in poverty today than in the turn of the 21st century. When compared to their more affluent counterparts, children living in fragile circumstances-including homeless children, children in foster care, and children living in families affected by chronic physical or mental health problems-are more likely to have low academic achievement, to drop out of school, and to have health and behavioral problems. The Oxford Handbook of Poverty and Child Development provides a comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms through which socioeconomic, cultural, familial, and community-level factors impact the early and long-term cognitive, neurobiological, socio-emotional, and physical development of children living in poverty. Leading contributors from various disciplines review basic and applied multidisciplinary research and propose questions and answers regarding the short and long-term impact of poverty, contexts and policies on child developmental trajectories. In addition, the book features analyses involving diverse children of all ages, particularly those from understudied groups (e.g. Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, immigrants) and those from understudied geographic areas (e.g., the rural U.S; international humanitarian settings). Each of the 7 sections begins with an overview of basic biological and behavioral research on child development and poverty, followed by applied analyses of contemporary issues that are currently at the heart of public debates on child health and well-being, and concluded with suggestions for policy reform. Through collaborative, interdisciplinary research, this book identifies the most pressing scientific issues involving poverty and child development, and offers new ideas and research questions that could lead us to develop a new science of research that is multidisciplinary, longitudinal, and that embraces an ecological approach to the study of child development.

Download or read book Household Chaos in Toddlerhood written by Kathryn Lila Krupsky and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction: Public health efforts to curb the obesity epidemic in the United States have shifted focus towards obesity prevention strategies in early stages of life. While most studies examining the etiology of excess weight gain in childhood have focused on behavioral factors, like dietary intake and physical activity, recent literature suggests prevention strategies may benefit from targeting complex interactions between children, their caregivers, and the broader social and material context of family home environments. In response, obesity preventions researchers are considering the potential influence of chaos in childhood obesity risk, as well as the role of caregiver-child interactions in healthy weight development; very few studies have simultaneously considered chaos and caregiver-child interactions in the context of childhood obesity risk. Thus, the current dissertation aimed to examine risk pathways from chaos to childhood obesity directly, and through aspects of caregiver-child feeding interactions. All studies included in this dissertation use data from the Play & Grow study, a contemporary cohort of caregiver-toddler dyads (N = 299) from central Ohio. The cohort was constructed to examine children’s weight trajectories in early childhood, with respect to caregiver-child mealtime and play time interactions, children’s self-regulation, and children’s gestational age. Study 1: Chaos has implications for child health that may extend to childhood obesity. Yet, results from studies describing associations between chaos and childhood obesity are mixed. Challenges to studying chaos-obesity relationships may include inconsistencies in operationalizing chaos and reliance on caregiver perceptions. Furthermore, multiple pathways may link chaos to obesity, though few have been empirically examined. A concurrent mixed methods analysis was conducted to describe home and neighborhood chaos using a subsample 283 caregiver-toddlers dyads from the Play & Grow study. Quantitative data consisted of a 21-item audit of neighborhood and household conditions. Qualitative data included brief ethnographies from rapid participant observation techniques. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to examine the underlying structure of environmental and household chaos. A thematic content analysis was completed to identify potential pathways linking chaos to childhood obesity. Results indicated chaos was comprised of multiple factors, including household disorganization and neighborhood noise. Unique themes, such as child behavior and caregiver-child interactions, were identified from analysis of the ethnographies. Results support the notion that chaos is a complex construct composed of multiple factors and the mechanisms linking chaos to childhood obesity may be equally complex. Study 2: Disparate literature examining associations between chaos and child weight outcomes in early-life limits what conclusions can be drawn about the role—if any—of chaos in child weight development. Therefore, the second study of this dissertation aimed to assess cross-sectional associations between household chaos and child weight outcomes. Multivariable log-binomial models were constructed to examine cross-sectional associations between household disorganization, one aspect of household chaos and child weight status at 24-months. Results suggest household disorganization was not cross-sectionally associated with toddler weight status. These findings contribute to other studies reporting null associations between chaos and child weight outcomes in early-life, though future analyses should focus on longitudinal assessments of chaos and child weight trajectories. Study 3: Numerous measures exist for examining caregiver feeding practices, but few assess specific aspects of feeding environments agreed upon by caregivers and their children or competing feeding strategies discussed in leading feeding frameworks. In response to this gap in methodology, the Feeding Strategies Questionnaire (FSQ) was developed. The psychometric properties of the FSQ have only been described in two studies, which report heterogenous structures and utilized samples with limited generalizability. Therefore, the third study conducted as part of this dissertation examined the psychometric properties of the FSQ within the Play & Grow cohort. Analyses are limited to participants with complete FSQ data (n = 293), which was administered to participating caregivers via survey during the 24-month assessment. The initial 32-items, six factor structure of the FSQ, reported in the original development study, was tested in the Play & Grow cohort using confirmatory factor analysis. Fit indices suggested model fit was inadequate (RMSEA = 0.089 (90% CI: 0.084, 0.094); CFI = 0.85; TLI = 0.83). Therefore, an exploratory factor analysis using the 32 items was conducted to identify a parsimonious model structure. The final factor structure utilized 23 items, which loaded onto four factors: Mealtime Scheduling, Caregiver Control of Intake, Child Control of Intake, and Unstructured Mealtimes. Fit indices for the new model structure were better (RMSEA = 0.097 (90% CI: 0.090, 0.010), CFI = 0.91, and TLI = 0.90). These findings suggest a modified version of the FSQ may be an age-appropriate measure for examining caregiver feeding practices among caregivers with toddlers. Study 4: Few studies describe the influence of chaos on specific feeding behaviors used by caregivers of toddlers. Therefore, the fourth study in this dissertation aimed to examine the direct and interactive associations between chaos, child temperament, and caregiver feeding practices. One aspect of chaos, household disorganization, was assessed using direct observations of household conditions when children were 24-months. Caregivers described three dimensions of child temperament, negative affect, surgency, and effortful control, via survey. Four caregiver feeding practices were reported by caregivers using the modified Feeding Strategies Questionnaire. The analytic sample was restricted to participants with complete data on all study variables (n = 275). Multivariable linear regression models were constructed to examine associations between household disorganization and caregiver reported feeding strategies. Interactive effects were assessed using interaction terms between household disorganization and variables describing child temperament. Higher levels of household disorganization and higher levels of child effortful control were significantly associated with more child control of intake. There was no evidence to suggest household disorganization and child temperament had interactive effects on caregiver feeding practices. Conclusions: Goals to significantly reduce the number of U.S. children with obesity requires multifaceted strategies which account for the numerous complexities associated with obesity treatment and prevention. The studies included in this dissertation highlight how one feature of family home environments, chaos, may add to those complexities. Through detailed, direct observations of environmental and household chaos, this dissertation underscores the necessity for nuance and specificity in studies examining chaos as a risk factor for childhood obesity. Within a bioecological frame, these studies discuss the pathways by which chaos may reduce a family’s capacity to promote healthy child weight development. The long-term goal of this program of research is to develop recommendations for family-based, childhood obesity prevention strategies.

Download or read book How Toddlers Thrive written by Tovah P Klein and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-02-24 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Klein argues that adult success is often established in the developmental preschool years. She shares advice for parents on how to promote such success-driving positive attributes as resilience, self-regulation, and empathy.

Download or read book Planning with Kids written by Nicole Avery and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-05-04 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ultimate guide for parents who dream of having a little less chaos and a lot more time for the good things in life Written by mother of five, Nicole Avery, this book shows harried parents how, with just a bit of planning, family life can become easier to manage, less stressful, and decidedly more fun. "Dream on," you say? "I might as well try to herd cats as to get my kids to follow a lot of arbitrary rules!" And Nicole would agree, which is why Planning with Kids isn't like any other parenting guide out there. It was inspired by Nicole's blog of the same name, which, over the past three years, has garnered a huge audience of likeminded parents who have achieved nothing short of miraculous results following her advice. While other prescriptive guides offer mums and dads cook-cutter solutions to the challenges of raising kids, this handbook focuses on one simple, straightforward idea: by implementing a few simple strategies for how you do things, you'll make more time for you to be you and your kids to be kids. You'll find strategies for streamlining and enhancing everything from the routines of daily life, to family relationships, to budgeting and finances, playtime and much more! Contains a full section on menus and cooking, including recipes, supported online by a planning-with-family meal planner Divided into sections so that readers can dip-in and dip-out for information as they need it as their family expands and grows up!

Download or read book Splitopia written by Wendy Paris and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-03-15 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Packed with research, insights, and illuminating (and often funny) examples from Paris’s own divorce experience, this book is a “practical and reassuring guide to parting well.” —Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project Engaging and revolutionary, filled with wit, searing honesty, and intimate interviews, Splitopia is a call for a saner, more civil kind of divorce. As Paris reveals, divorce has improved dramatically in recent decades due to changes in laws and family structures, advances in psychology and child development, and a new understanding of the importance of the father. Positive psychology expert and author of Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar, writes that Paris’s “personal insights, stories, and research” create “a smart and interesting guide that can be extremely helpful for those going through divorce.” Reading this book can be the difference between an expensive, ugly battle and a decent divorce, between children sucked under by conflict or happy, healthy kids. This is “a compelling case that it’s high time for a new definition of Happily Ever After—for everyone” (Brigid Schulte, author of Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time).

Download or read book Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2015-07-23 with total page 587 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

Download or read book Cultural Approaches To Parenting written by Marc H. Bornstein and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2013-02-01 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is concerned with elucidating similarities and differences in enculturation processes that help to account for the ways in which individuals in different cultures develop. Each chapter reviews a substantive parenting topic, describes the relevant cultures (in psychological ethnography, rather than from an anthropological stance), reports on the parenting-in-culture results, and discusses the significance of cross-cultural investigation for understanding the parenting issue of interest. Specific areas of study include environment and interactive style, responsiveness, activity patterns, distributions of social involvement with children, structural patterns of interaction, and development of the social self. Through exposure to a wide range of diverse research methods, readers will gain a deeper appreciation of the problems, procedures, possibilities, and profits associated with a truly comparative approach to understanding human growth and development.