Notice: The information contained and resources recommended on this website are for general information and educational purposes only and in their entirety do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite.  The resources listed here have been found helpful, in parts or in their entirety, by some individuals at times.  They are recommended to be used with discretion and are not a substitute for professional, medical advice, treatment, or diagnosis.  We do not necessarily endorse links listed on some of these recommended websites.

Resources For Parents

Books

Boundaries With Kids by  Dr Henry Cloud and Dr John Townsend
What the award-winning, Boundaries has done for adult relationships, Boundaries with Kids will do for you and your children. Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend provide the help and guidance you need for raising your children to take responsibility for their actions, attitudes, and emotions. With wisdom and empathy, they take you through the ins and outs of instilling the kind of character in your children that will help them lead balanced, productive, and fulfilling adult lives. Learn how to set limits and still be a loving parent, bring control to an out-of-control family life, apply the ten laws of boundaries to parenting, define appropriate boundaries and consequences for your children and much more.

Child Nurture for the Christian Home by Gospel Publishers
This book sets forth the scriptural teachings for structuring a Christian home, with the focus on our daily dependence upon God for direction and the scriptural ground-work on which to base the nurture of children.

The Christian Home by Rueben Koehn
Sound scriptural teaching on home life and the nurture of children. Written as an aid to parents who want to bring their children to mature life in favor with God and man. Topics covered are the home, the parents, the child, mental and social development, discipline, use of money, adolescence, youth, courtship, and more.

The Connected Child by Karyn Purvis
Practical strategies for parenting children from troubled backgrounds, from other countries and cultures, or with behavioral or emotional needs.

The Connected Parent by Lisa Qualls and Karyn Purvis
Parenting under the best of circumstances can be difficult. And raising children who have come to your home from “hard places,” who have their own set of unique needs, brings even more challenges. You may have discovered that the techniques that worked with your birth children are not working with your adopted or foster child.

Renowned child-development expert Dr. Karyn Purvis gives you practical advice and powerful tools you can use to encourage secure attachment in your family. You will benefit from Karyn’s decades of clinical research and real-world experience. Coauthor Lisa Qualls demonstrates how you can successfully implement these strategies in your home, just as she did in hers.

Empower ADHD KIds! by Becky White
Help children with ADHD in kindergarten through grade 6 be their best! Step-by-step plans that help teachers and parents teach practical strategies for mastering learning and social competencies to children with ADHD. The activities provide a strong working knowledge of the characteristics of ADHD. The book includes goal-setting techniques, strategies to help children focus, problem-solving strategies, and ideas to help children with ADHD realize their strengths.

Happiness for Our Hearts and Homes by Marjorie Hiebert
Meditations from one mother to another, especially mothers with daughters. This book is for those who value harmonious homes and happy relationships with their husbands and children.

Keep Your Love On by Danny Silk                                                                                                                                                                                              Keeping your love on is a hard thing to do. Sometimes it’s the hardest thing to do. But if you want to build healthy relationships with God and others, learning to keep your love on is non–negotiable. Adults and children alike thrive in healthy relationships where it is safe to love and be loved, to know and be known. Keep Your Love On reveals the higher, Jesus–focused standard defined by mature love―love that stays ‘on’ no matter what. Danny Silk’s practical examples and poignant stories will leave you with the power to draw healthy boundaries, communicate in love, and ultimately protect your connections so you can love against all odds. As a result, your relationships will be radically transformed for eternity. When you learn to keep your love on, you become like Jesus.

My Other Name is Mom by Mary Burkholder

It is wonderful to be called Mom, but it is also challenging and can be overwhelming. This book is about embracing the realities of godly motherhood and godly marriage. It is full of practical advice and not impossible ideals. In the context of God’s plan for families, this book looks at how cultural changes affect us, and the realities of tears and tantrums, discouragement, and exhaustion. A good read for all Christian mothers.

Part of the Family by Merle Burkholder
This book is written to children who have been adopted. Each chapter is about a Bible character who experienced difficult or unique family situations

Pig Boy by Margaret Penner Toews
Practical strategies for parenting children from troubled backgrounds, from other countries and cultures, or with behavioral or emotional needs.

Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Kurcinka
Parenting expert Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, Ed.D, offers ALL parents a glimpse into what makes their children behave the way they do. Through vivid examples and a refreshingly positive viewpoint, this invaluable guide offers parents emotional support and proven strategies for handling the toughest times.

Scattered Minds by Gabor Mate
In this breakthrough guide to understanding, treating, and healing Attention Deficit Disorder, Dr. Gabor Maté, an adult with ADD and the father of three ADD children, shares information on:
· The external factors that trigger ADD/ADHD
· How to create an environment that promotes health and healing
· Ritalin and other drugs
· ADD adults
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD) has remained a controversial topic in recent years. Whereas other books on the subject describe the condition as inherited, Dr. Maté believes that our social and emotional environments play a key role in both the cause of and cure for this condition.

Sensory Processing 101 by Dayna Abraham, Claire Heffron, Pamela Braley, Lauren Drobnjak 

This easy-to-read guide is your starting point to gain a better understanding of sensory processing and the body’s sensory systems. You may have heard of Sensory Processing Disorder, but this book is designed to help all children – not just those with a sensory disorder. 

Seven Things Children Need by John M. Drescher
The seven things addressed in this book are significance, security, acceptance, love, praise, discipline, and God.

The Spark by Kristine Barnett
Though Jake Barnett is diagnosed with autism at the age of two, his IQ is higher than Albert Einstein’s. This is the story of his mother’s love and perseverance and the amazing path that unlocked what was going on in his brain. This story is not an average situation, but there are tidbits of insight that can benefit teachers, board members, and parents.

Supporting Positive Behavior in Children and Teens with Down Syndrome by David Stein
Common behaviour issues in children with Down syndrome can quickly become engrained and may even persist into adulthood. No parent wants that to happen, and thankfully, help is available. Dr. David Stein, a psychologist and Co-Director of the Down Syndrome Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, shares his approach to behaviour management in this new book for parents.

Supporting Positive Behavior in Children and Teens with Down Syndrome examines how the brain of a person with Down syndrome works, how those differences impact behaviour, and why bad behavour should not be viewed as a willful act. Governed by this new awareness, parents are in a better position to change and manage their child’s behaviour using these guiding principles: be proactive not reactive; be consistent; use visual schedules & Social Stories to direct behaviour; develop a token reward chart; keep gut reactions in check; teach siblings to ignore bad behaviour; learn effective disciplinary techniques; and know when professional help is needed.

Some of these parenting concepts are intuitive, others are not, but when they are followed consistently, children and teens with Down syndrome do their best behaviourally and the parent-child relationship remains as positive and loving as it should be.

Trying Differently Rather Than Harder by Diane Malbin
Excellent resource for parents and teachers of children on the FASD spectrum. Written by a professional who is also a recovering alcoholic and a parent of a child with FASD.
Available from https://fascets.org/

The Whole Brain Child by Dan Seigel
A revolutionary approach to child rearing with twelve key strategies that foster healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children. The authors explain—and make accessible—the new science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures.

You Have What It Takes by John Eldredge                                                                                                                                                                                      In You Have What It Takes, Eldredge gives fathers a look inside both themselves and their sons and daughters, encouraging them to give their children permission to be who God designed them to be. Every boy wants to be a hero. He wants to be powerful, dangerous. He wants to know… Do I have what it takes? Every girl wants to believe that she is captivating, worth fighting for. She wants to know… Am I lovely? Only you, Dad, can help your children find the answer to those questions. That makes you the most powerful man in your child’s life. And as you will learn in this inspiring book, You Have What It Takes.


Unless listed otherwise, these books are available from one of the following websites:
https://gospelpublishers.com/canada/
https://www.gospelpublishers.com/usa/
https://www.amazon.com/
https://www.amazon.ca/

Websites

sensorymom.com
Resources, validation and support for the moms and dads (and teachers) out there navigating the bumpy and bewildering road of a SPD diagnosis and/or many other parenting challenges,

child.tcu.edu
This website uses the same methods as the book, The Connected Child. Many different links to articles and videos, some free, some for purchase.

additudemag.com
Your child is not deliberately willful, disobedient, scattered, demanding, obnoxious, aggressive, or lazy. ADHD is not a “behavior problem” or a “discipline problem.” ADHD is a neurological, genetic, nutritional, and environmental medical disorder that imbalances the brain.

understood.org
Dedicated to growing and shaping a world where everyone who learns and thinks differently feels supported at home, at school, and at work.

childmind.org
The Child Mind Institute is an independent, national nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders.

Articles

Dan Hughes and Jon Baylin are practitioners and authors from the USA who have worked for decades with parents, carers and children who have experienced trauma. They have a particular interest in helping parents and carers strengthen their connection with their children and draw upon brain research as a frame for their approach. In their book ‘Brain Based Parenting- The neuroscience of caregiving for a healthy attachment’ they talk about five inter-related systems that support parenting. The following is an attempt at summarizing some of their ideas from this publication.

The 5 Parenting Systems according to Dan Hughes and Jon Baylin

Two Words That Will Transform Your Family.

Relationships are both the most rewarding and most challenging thing about family. The relationship between a husband and wife, between siblings, or between parent and child are essentially what make up a family. Major life stressors, coupled with the everyday mundane such as chores, bills, teasing, boredom, and appointments can cause strains in those relationships. Even the most loving families can find themselves snapping at each other or just ignoring each other and growing apart.

Read More …