Child Care

Sports, activities, long hours, and commutes - with so much to do, dinner has been bumped to the back burner. But research shows that family dinners offer more than just nutrition. Studies have tied shared meals to increased resiliency and self-esteem in children, higher academic achievement, a healthier relationship to food, and even reduced risk of substance abuse and eating disorders. Written by a Harvard Medical School professor and mother, Home for Dinner makes a passionate and informed plea to put mealtime back at the center of family life and supplies compelling evidence and realistic tips for getting even the busiest of families back to the table. Chock full of stories, new research, recipes, and friendly advice,

"Besides the usual parenting challenges, parents of disabled children face added obstacles that can tax the resolve and resources of even the strongest families. The author has developed a powerful system for obtaining dramatically better care for children with one or more serious disabilities. Parenting Your Complex Child reflects the experience and knowledge she has gained through decades of navigating a sea of complex medical, educational, occupational, and social issues while working with disabled clients and with her own son. Morgan's unique tracking and documentation tools let parents adapt to their child's challenges, create routines that support the child's needs, communicate those needs to busy professionals and be taken seriously by them. The book also helps parents lay the groundwork for care to continue after they themselves can no longer provide it. Compassionate, practical, and proven, Parenting Your Complex Child helps parents ensure that life-changing decisions are based on the best interests of the child and on the best information available." Peggy Lou Morgan has worked with the disabled for nearly 35 years, including more than 10 years as a professional fiduciary, setting up servicesand placements for her clients. Morgan adopted a multiply disabled child years ago.

As a parent, you want to see your teen succeed in school and in life - and you do your best to help. But how do you know what will make a difference? Maybe it’s time to listen to a teacher. Day in and day out, teachers watch kids interact with peers, make decisions, deal with difficulty, accept or deflect responsibility Teachers are our eyes and ears - and there’s a lot they wish we knew. In Teenagers 101, veteran high school teacher Rebecca Deurlein examines how we can support our teens as they cope with the challenges of the modern world. In an age of instant gratification, how do they learn to work hard? How do they become self-reliant when Mom and Dad are quick to step in? How do they make the transition from kids to adults? Speaking as an educator and a parent herself, Deurlein offers practical strategies for getting teens to:   Be self-motivated Take responsibility for learning Puzzle through problems Become their own advocate Present themselves well Packed with engaging anecdotes and backed by years of experience, Teenagers 101 is a crash course on the skills teenagers everywhere need to thrive in college and beyond.