The Big Book of Parenting Solutions

Borba, author and Today Show regular, employs a cookbooklike approach in her latest volume: rather than read through the entire tome, parents can flip to topics pertinent to their family. Borba opens with a friendly overview, noting that contemporary parents feel more stressed and find their roles increasingly difficult (June Cleaver, she points out, didn't have to deal with cyberbullying or Facebook). With characteristic wit, Borba identifies the ?seven deadly parenting styles,? including helicopter, buddy, incubator, bandage, paranoid, accessory parenting (judging themselves by their kids' accolades) and secondary parenting (relinquishing power to such outsiders as marketers or the media). In nine sections on family, behavior, character, emotions, social scene, school, special needs, day-to-day and electronics, the author urges readers to roll up their sleeves and get back to basic, instinctual parenting. As she tackles 101 issues ranging from sibling rivalry, lying and peer pressure to cell-phone use and TV addiction, Borba helps readers identify the reason underlying the behavior or problem, and work with 10 essential principles of change. With her no-nonsense yet compassionate voice, Borba once again delivers an indispensable resource for parents of toddlers to 13-year-olds. (Sept.) (Publishers Weekly, July 20, 2009)

A Recommended Read for Moms by Working Mother magazine: "Educational psychologist and Today show parenting expert Dr. Michele Borba has compiled 101 answers to your most perplexing kid conundrums, from early childhood challenges like thumbsucking and tantrums to later behaviors like bullying and drug use to universals like adoption and divorce. The easy-to-use problem/solution format will have you battling your biggest parenting crises with confidence." (October 2009)