Showing results by publisher "Zondervan" in Parenting & Families

Those conversations that are so vital for your children's health and happiness don't have to be difficult if you're prepared. A Chicken's Guide to Talking Turkey with Your Kids about Sex shows you how to deal with what goes on above the neck as well as below the waist. Here's how to help your child face the struggles, questions, wonders, and rewards of his or her developing sexuality.

In the age of fingertip access to answers and a limitless supply of ambitions, where do we find the God who was birthed in dirt and straw? Sara Hagerty found him when life stopped working for her. She found him when she was a young adult mired in spiritual busyness and when she was a new bride with doubts about whether her fledgling marriage would survive. She found him alone in the night as she cradled her longing for babies who did not come. She found him as she kissed the faces of children on another continent who had lived years without a mommy’s touch. In Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet, Hagerty masterfully draws from the narrative of her life to craft a mosaic of a God who leans into broken stories. Here readers see a God who is present in every changing circumstance. Most significantly, they see a God who is present in every unchanging circumstance as well.

Moms' Ultimate Guide to the Tween Girl Years gives mothers practical advice and spiritual inspiration that will enable them to see their mini-women into adolescence strong, confident, authentic, and God-centered, even in a morally challenged society--without losing their childhoods before they're ready.

Cutting. It’s become a buzzword lately, but very few books address it from the perspective of a youth worker or concerned friend. Marv Penner has lived in this world for the past few years, talking with teenagers online and meeting with them to understand what drives them and why they self-injure. In this timely and helpful book, youth workers, coaches, teachers, and others will get the information they need to begin to understand and help (or point to help) kids who cut.

Building on the best-selling go-to guidebook Sticky Faith, The Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family shows parents how to actively encourage their children's spiritual growth so that it will stick with them into adulthood and empower them to develop a living, lasting faith.

Three years after giving birth to twin daughters, Kate and Jon Gosselin became pregnant again - with sextuplets. Kate's candid and emotionally-charged book chronicles the exhausting challenges she and Jon faced from the time the babies were conceived through the first two years of their lives, and the faith it took to get through each day.

Taking care of a family member who is ill, disabled, or dying requires courage, strength, commitment, and love. Now Terry Hargrave, an expert in counseling and caregiving, offers you help with a devotional written with your specific needs in mind. The morning prayers and evening reflections in this book are short and to the point. Strength and Courage for Caregivers weaves together powerful stories, practical advice, and the restorative promises of Scripture, reminding caregivers that they're not alone in this important yet all too often unacknowledged and underappreciated work.

With enough humor to ease the rawness of the story, Undone takes you on a roller-coaster two-year journey through the unexpectedness of life. A look back makes Michele long for a do-over, the chance to make fewer mistakes and leave less of a mess to clean up. A look forward makes Michele wonder if all her attempts to control life have robbed her of the vibrancy of it. And in the middle of this internal chaos, she finds her once-pristine house filled with the sights and sounds of three small, uncontainable children who just want to be loved.  

Author and Instagram star Heather Avis has made it her mission to introduce the world to the unique gifts and real-life challenges of those who have been pushed to the edges of society. Mama to three adopted kids - two with Down Syndrome - Heather encourages us all to take a breath, whisper a prayer, laugh a little, and make room for the wildflowers.

Perfection is the enemy of parenting. Jim Daly sees and hears from mothers and fathers trying hard to pursue perfection. They listen to the best experts and read all the right books. When someone gives them a "World's Best Mom" or "Number One Dad" coffee mug, they want it to be true. And they want their children to pursue perfection, too. It's admirable for parents to be the very best moms and dads they can be for their children. But sometimes in so doing, they leave grace behind - both for themselves and for their children.

In Brave Mom, Sherry Surratt, president and CEO of MOPS International, shares honestly and openly about the fears every mom struggles with. From worry about your child's safety and health to wondering if you are a good parent, to fears about your marriage and loss of self-identity, Sherry comes alongside every mom with practical, real, and hopeful help for these common fears that we're all afraid to talk about.

On the occasion of its 10-year anniversary, this revised and updated version of What Every Mom Needs takes a look at what moms need, or want, for themselves during the busy years of mothering young children. Morgan and Kuykendall are candid and articulate as they explore how meeting her personal needs of Identity, Growth, Relationship, Help, Perspective, and Hope enables a woman to be a better mom.

Matt Kell and Cathy Spehn had known each other since grade school. As adults, they each married, lived in their hometown and attended the same church. Their kids attended school together. Matt died at home on Christmas Day after a three-year battle with cancer, leaving behind his wife, Gina, and two young boys. Prior to his death, Matt recorded a video diary for his sons, which included his desire and expectations that their mom would love again.

In the midst of carpools and play dates, does the idea of saving the planet feel like something else to feel guilty about not doing? Green Mama puts green living within your reach. Tracey Bianchi offers creative tips, tricks, and resources that will benefit your kids and your community and will draw you closer to God’s heart for this planet.

A book to equip parents with proven principles to have life-changing discussions with their kids about how Jesus changes lives, to explain the plan of salvation, and to lead a child in prayer to begin a relationship with Christ.

You can’t ignore MySpace if you’re a parent—but you don’t have to be intimidated by it. This simple, step-by-step exploration of what MySpace means in your teen’s life helps even computer-challenged parents and grandparents understand this communication revolution and make informed, confident decisions about their teen’s use of MySpace.

Nothing is quite as special as being a grandmother! Here, best-selling devotional author Rebecca Barlow Jordan offers particular encouragement for the challenges and delights you’ll encounter. As you experience these 40 devotions, you’ll discover renewed vitality in your relationship with God and be reminded of his extraordinary faithfulness to you, your children, and your grandchildren.

For many parents, raising children seems pretty manageable until the teenage years. Then fear, confusion, frustration, and lack of understanding begin toinvade the hearts and minds of these once-confident parents. The “normal” changes of adolescence seem to be nothing but abnormal to parents who begin to feel like helpless bystanders. But parents don’t need to feel alone or paralyzed by these feelings.

Choose the parent you'll be - and you choose the child you'll raise. When it comes to parenting, who you are is more important than what you do. After all, your child internalizes your traits more than anyone else's on the planet. And that's why Les and Leslie Parrott - in a parenting book like no other - give you a proven plan for cultivating the traits you most want your child to have.

It has never been more challenging to be a parent - or more hazardous to be a child. Children don't come with instructions, but Ron Hutchcraft's Five Needs Your Child Must Have Met at Home provides a practical road map for raising stable children in an unstable world. He discusses the 5 critical needs of every child: the need for a secure self, honest sexual answers, satisfying love, stable authority, and spiritual reality, and gives parents valuable, surefire tips for meeting all of these needs. Whether you're brand-new parents or have a house full of teenagers, Hutchcraft shows you how to create a home front that will help your kids grow up to become thriving adults.