Raising Emotionally and Socially Healthy Kids

Parents can play a major role in helping or hindering children's development of emotional regulation skills. Consider the factors that make emotion regulation difficult for kids and learn techniques for teaching your children to understand and cope with their feelings, both in a "meltdown" situation and on an ongoing everyday basis.

Fear is a necessary emotion. But when a child's responses to perceived threats are more intense, pervasive, and enduring than the situation warrants, anxiety can become a serious problem. Pick up practical ways you can help children learn to cope with the thoughts and behaviors that trigger and accompany anxiety, as well as anxiety's physical manifestations.

Are timeouts productive? How should punishment be used, if at all? Learn how to respond constructively to children's anger and help kids learn to manage and communicate it in healthy, non-aggressive ways. Gain practical strategies for inspiring cooperation from kids of various ages and avoiding power struggles.

All the parental praise and cheerleading in the world won't make a child develop authentic self-esteem. Discover the important developmental changes that occur in children's self-concepts over time, and how parents can support self-esteem at each stage. Then, take an in-depth look at the core components of authentic self-esteem at any age.

Empathy involves more than just "being nice." Explore the three interwoven strands of empathy - affective resonance, cognitive perspective taking, and motivation for compassionate behavior. Then, look closely at three more general ways of helping children develop empathy, including challenging empathy exceptions and giving kids a path forward when they behave in unkind ways.

Parents can't make their children happy - what they can do is help them develop the skills and attitudes that contribute to happiness. Gain strategies for guiding and supporting kids in building a life that incorporates pleasure, engagement, and meaning, from teaching them how to relish positive experiences to helping them break free from perfectionism.

Track the fascinating changes that happen in children's friendships, as they move from the simple "love the one you're with" connections of young children, through the palling around of school-age children, to the intimate relationships of teens. Discover the three key ingredients of friendship formation and investigate ways to support your child's social development.

Explore the stages of how children learn to play: solitary, parallel, associative, and cooperative play. Witness the extraordinary variety of children's pretend play and understand its social and emotional importance. Dive into the research and learn what experts say about war games and roughhousing. Finally, take a look at games with rules and how to help your child handle winning and losing.

Arguments, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings are an unavoidable part of any relationship. Look at the reasons why children argue with friends, the methods through which they resolve their differences, and ways you can support your child as they go through the frustration and heartache of a conflict or breakup.

What makes some kids popular? Why do some kids have trouble getting along? Study the characteristics linked to four research-based categories of social status that children might fall into: well liked, controversial, neglected, and rejected. Explore the hidden risks of popularity and the role of gossip.

Kids can be very mean to each other. Learn about the long-term effects of bullying for both the target and the bully. Understand what distinguishes bullying from ordinary meanness and how bullying differs among boys and girls. Gain practical strategies to use if your child is the target of bullying - or the one doing the bullying.

Unlike previous generations, children today are growing up in a digital world. Discover the parallels between online and face-to-face behaviors and how anonymity (perceived or real) changes the bullying game. Reflect on the risky behaviors children engage in online and how parents can mitigate those risks and educate their children so they navigate the web safely and with kindness.