What Parents Need to Know About Children

Book excerpt: Stan Ferguson, an experienced family therapist and parenting consultant, shares information, techniques, and skills he believes to be essential for parents who want to connect with their children in deep personal ways and to effectively nurture and guide them. Parents are more concerned than ever about their children's safety, emotional well being, and success. Yet parental worry and concern can lead to counterproductive behaviors that produce anxiety in children and diminish their confidence, abilities, and self esteem. What Parents Need to Know About Children focuses on the basic and most important information all parents need to reach their overall goals of happiness and success for their children. Each chapter includes practical information, at least one highlighted story that illustrates and illuminates important concepts, a "Review" section, and a "How to put into Practice" section. This format makes it ideal for individuals, couples, or groups to learn parenting skills. "It is obvious this book was born in Stan's heart. It is very practical and the examples of specific responses he includes will be really helpful to parents. The stories he shares present graphic pictures so that the ideas they illustrate are easily remembered. I hope this book does well because of the lives it will help change." Garry Landreth - Regents Professor, University of North Texas and author of Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship. "It's a pleasure to endorse this wonderfully practical and entertaining guide for parents. It's reflective of Stan's love for children, his extraordinary wisdom where they are concerned, and his unique gifts as a teacher and counselor. I heartily recommend What Parents Need To Know About Children to everyone who has a child or has ever been one." Richard D. Carson - Author of Taming Your Gremlin: A Guide To Enjoying Yourself