 Family Life
Resources For Family Educators
Great Books and Resources for Families
The list below points you to some of the best available books, videos, and web resources to help you in your family journey. The books are organized into four areas: Self, Marriage, Parenting, and Development.
Books ( * = highest recommendation)
Self
* Authentic Happiness By Martin E. P. Seligman, 2002, New York : Simon & Schuster Superb book about the three levels of happiness.
* Anger Kills: 17 Strategies for Controlling the Hostility that Can Harm Your Health By Redford and Virginia Williams, 1998, New York : HarperCollins. Excellent book on overcoming anger.
Learned Optimism By Martin E. P. Seligman, 1991, New York : Alfred Knopf. Optimism may be a key to mental wellness.
Finding Flow By Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 1997, New York : Basic Books. Good if you want to understand optimal human functioning.
What You Can Change and What You Can't By Martin E. P. Seligman, 1993, New York : Fawcett. Seligman summarizes what therapies and medications are effective for various disorders.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People By Stephen R. Covey,1989, New York : Simon & Schuster. Seven habits for greater personal and interpersonal effectiveness.
Finding Your Own North Star By Martha Beck, 2002, New York : Crown Books. A fine book to help you in your journey to self-discovery and expression.
Marriage
* The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work By John M. Gottman, 1999, New York : Crown. Excellent book with many measures and recommendations.
* Reconcilable Differences By Andrew Christensen and Neil S. Jacobson, 2000, New York : Guilford Press. Acceptance is important in maintaining a strong relationship.
* Why Marriages Succeed or Fail and How You Can Make Yours Last By John Gottman, 1994, New York : Simon & Schuster. Describes three kinds of relationships and ways to make yours strong.
Beyond the Myth of Marital Happiness By Blaine J. Fowers, 2000, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Insightful book about the importance of values in sustaining marriage.
The Intentional Family By William J. Doherty, 1997, Reading , MA : Addison-Wesley. Quality family life should not be left to chance.
Take Back Your Marriage By William J. Doherty, 2001, New York : Guilford Press. Many good ideas for protecting your marriage from outside demands.
The Divorce Remedy: The Proven 7-Step Program for Saving Your Marriage By Michele Weiner Davis, 2002, New York : Fireside Book. Divorce is often a poor solution to marriage problems.
Not "Just Friends" By Shirley P. Glass and Jean Coppock Staeheli, 2003, New York : Free Press. Affairs can be prevented or overcome.
Parenting
* Between Parent and Child By Haim Ginott; Updated by Alice Ginott and H. Wallace Goddard, 2003 , New York : Three Rivers Press. The classic book on parenting and dealing with emotions.
* Between Parent and Teenager By Haim Ginott, 1969, New York : Macmillan. Classic book is out of print but available on the web & used bookstores.
* Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child By John Gottman, 1998, New York : Simon & Schuster. This book describes four ways of dealing with children's emotions.
* Principles of Parenting By H. Wallace Goddard, Available online at:
http://www.humsci.auburn.edu/parent/
Individual units can be purchased for 10 cents each by writing to Publications. ACES. Duncan Annex. AU , AL 36849-5623 . Especially recommended: Taking Care of the Parent; Being Understanding; Sending Messages of Love; Enjoying Each Child as an Individual; Something Better than Punishment.
Raising Courageous Kids By Charles A. Smith, 2004, Notre Dame, IN: Sorin Books. Full of ideas for cultivating practical heroism in children.
What Kids Need to Succeed: Proven, Practical Ways to Raise Good Kids By Peter L. Benson, Judy Galbraith, Pamela Espeland, 1998, Minneapolis , MN : Free Spirit Publishing. Build developmental assets in order to assure children's future.
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk By Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, 1999, New York: William Morrow & Co. Practical ideas based on Ginott's classic work.
Development
* A Child is Born By Lennart Nilsson and Lars Hamberger, 2003, New York : Dell Publishing. Amazing photographs of in uterine development.
What's Happening to My Body? By Lynda Madaras and Area Madaras, 2000, Newmarket Press. Help children understand the changes they go through.
Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care By Benjamin Spock, 1997 , New York : Pocket Books. Good book for basic care of young children.
For more information about books in these areas or for books in other areas, see
The Authoritative Guide to Self-Help Resources in Mental Health By Norcorss, Santrock, Campbell, Smith, Sommer, & Zuckerman, 2003, New York : Guilford .
Videos
"Guiding Children Successfully" is a series of 12 1-hour programs produced by the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and AETN. Tapes can be purchased for $25 per program ($8 for educational institutions) from AETN. Go to
http://www.aetn.org
"I Am Your Child" is a set of 6 tapes with excellent information for caring for young children. Check at
www.iamyourchild.org
for ordering information. Inexpensive and excellent.
Family Web Links
Web articles (more than 60 of them!) on development, marriage, parenting and family life at
www.arfamilies.org then
select on "Family Life" (Also articles on resource management and nutrition.) Can be used for newsletters, classes, discussions, or self-study.
Children, Youth, and Families Education and Research Network (CYFERnet) at
www.cyfernet.org includes
has practical, research-based information from the nation's leading
universities. Includes hundreds of articles on early childhood, school-age
children, teens, parent and family, as well as community.
For good information on family programming within the Cooperative State
Research, Education, and Extension Service program, go to Family Development at
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/familysciencehumandevelopment
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Resources For Family Educators
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