Good Enough Parenting

Written for parents of children from toddlers to teens, this book gives parents a science-based plan to help their children grow up to be emotionally healthy adults.

To build healthy and lasting parent-child relationships, parents need practical strategies that meet their child's needs and address the circumstances that affect their families. A parent's job unfolds and shifts over time. Concerns about sleep become worries about tantrums; anxieties about sharing become fears about grades and acting out in school. These concerns are natural, but many parents struggle to handle it all. Some feel drained, some lash out, and some feel like the worst parents in the world. 

This book shows parents how to use a six-step program to build a stronger relationship with their child. It teaches parents how to set parenting goals, prioritize their own emotional health, and create a structure for their family. Having laid that three-step foundation, parents learn the importance of accepting their child for who they are, containing their behavior, and acting as a leader. Prioritizing these six areas and making a plan for them will allow readers to parent proactively rather than reactively and focus on what matters most. No one can be a perfect parent, but you can be a good enough parent, one who shepherds their child toward a healthy, productive adulthood.
 

Timothy A. Cavell, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Psychological Science at the University of Arkansas and a clinical psychologist who uses short-term, problem-focused therapy that builds on existing strengths. Dr. Cavell's prevention research has been funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Institute of Education Sciences. Funded projects involve school-based prevention for aggressive children at risk for later substance use and school support for children from military families. Other projects focus on school-based mentoring for chronically bullied children, natural mentoring supports for adolescents exposed to dating violence, and parents' capacity to promote safe, informal mentoring relationships for their children.

Lauren B. Quetsch, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Psychological Science at the University of Arkansas. She attained her BA in psychology from Georgetown University and her PhD in clinical psychology with a specialty in child clinical psychology at West Virginia University in Morgantown. Dr. Quetsch's specialty is in children with disruptive behavior disorders, and she is establishing her career in adapting evidence-based treatments for children on the autism spectrum. Simultaneously, she is continuing to ask questions related to dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments for underserved families and children with disruptive behaviors by collaborations with community mental health agencies.