Family Conflict

Best-selling author and New York Times family columnist Bruce Feiler found himself squeezed between caring for aging parents and raising his children. So he set out on a three-year journey to find the smartest solutions and the most cutting-edge research about families. Instead of the usual family "experts", he sought out the most creative minds - from Silicon Valley to the set of Modern Family, from the country's top negotiators to the Green Berets - and asked them what team-building exercises and problem-solving techniques they use with their families.

This classic resource shows parents how to set clear, concise guidelines to ensure positive and constructive discipline.

Successful people confront well. They know that setting healthy boundaries improves relationships and can solve important problems. They have discovered that uncomfortable situations can be avoided or resolved through direct conversation. But most of us don't know how to have difficult conversations, and we see confrontation as scary or adversarial.

With this unique and highly practical guide, you'll learn the science of attachment theory, and how to apply it to your coparenting relationship. Secure attachment refers to the bond between a parent and young child, which gives that child a stable and secure basis from which to negotiate life going forward. A child with a secure base can weather the storms of trauma and life changes—such as those caused by divorce—much more easily than a child who doesn't.

It's almost Christmas, but there is no joy in the house of terminally ill Jack and his family. With only a short time left to live, he spends his last days preparing to say goodbye to his devoted wife, Lizzie, and their three children. Then, unthinkably, tragedy strikes again: Lizzie is killed in a car accident. With no one able to care for them, the children are separated from each other and sent to live with family members around the country. Just when all seems lost, Jack begins to recover in a miraculous turn of events.

Timeless Wisdom for Strengthening Marriage and Families If you buy just one book on Dating, Marriage or Families, this would be the one. No other books provide such a comprehensive, helpful overview of the family life cycle from child development through the golden age of retirement.

From rule breaking and risk taking to defensive communication and disrespect, parenting a teenager can feel like modern warfare - but it doesn't have to be that way. In 1-2-3 Magic Teen, internationally renowned parenting expert Thomas W. Phelan explains how to better understand your teenager, which problems are not worth fighting over, and why your child's behavior likely matches the definition of a normal adolescent.

Here is an essential manual for creating a positive, respectful, and rewarding relationship with a strong-willed child. Based on proven techniques and procedures, parents and teachers alike will welcome this book.

In all the writing and reporting KJ Dell'Antonia has done on families over the years, one topic keeps coming up again and again: parents crave a greater sense of happiness in their daily lives. In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day.

Walking down the aisle is only the beginning of your story. When spouses get bored, fail to communicate, or struggle to balance parenting and marriage, marriage can feel like an impossible challenge, and spouses think the only solution is to end their story. You are human, and having marital issues is far from uncommon. Rather than feeling like a failure or rushing straight toward divorce, step back and think about what you can do to make things better.

How to Effectively Co-Parent with a Narcissist equips you with the tools and insights to navigate these challenges and create stability for your kids while supporting your mental health. This is my life. I’m living in this situation right now. I understand what you're going through because I’ve been there—and still am. This isn’t just advice from an outsider—it’s a guide from someone who truly gets it.

We hear it all the time on the news. The divorce rates are rising. More children are being raised in split homes. But you didn’t think it would happen to you. Luckily, you’re not alone. Popular divorce coach Michelle Dempsey-Multack not only survived her own divorce but figured out how to move on with her life, just like you will, too. Now happily remarried with a blended family, she’s living proof that no matter which “firsts” you might be experiencing as you end your marriage, your best days are ahead.

Break Free from the Pain of Your Past and Reclaim Your Emotional Well-Being Were you raised by parents who couldn’t meet your emotional needs? Do you find yourself struggling with self-doubt, setting boundaries, or forming healthy relationships? You’re not alone—and it’s never too late to heal. In Raised by Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Neglect, Learn to Set Boundaries, and Boost Emotional Intelligence, you’ll discover the tools and strategies to break free from the lasting impact of childhood neglect and emotional immaturity.

Building on their work at Chaddock, a nonprofit organization that has worked with some of the most challenging kids in the nation for more than 150 years, the authors empower frustrated parents with practical tips and real-life examples on how to minimize behavioral meltdowns, reduce conflict, increase cooperation, promote healthy attachment, and improve family relationships. The strategies they share work both for the child who is going through a difficult phase brought on by life disruption or trauma, and for the child who faces chronic struggles.

Parenting changes a couple’s relationship in fundamental ways, but most parents are too exhausted from the demands of life, work, and engaging their kids to prioritize their relationship. This can lead to repeated conflict and an overwhelming sense of anxiety, anger, hurt, and loneliness…just when you need your partner’s support the most. The good news: conflict is actually a sign that you are trying to connect with your partner—you’re just stuck in an old pattern of communication.

From a leading DBT expert and the author of Stop Walking on Eggshells—which has helped nearly a million people successfully navigate their relationships with BPD sufferers—this workbook harnesses the power of DBT, the gold standard for treating BPD. You'll learn to better understand and empathize with your loved one's internal experiences and symptoms, and discover strategies to help you manage your own emotions and stay calm in stressful or upsetting situations.

If you do a quick online search of toxic or narcissistic persons, the overwhelming advice you’ll find is to cut these people out of your life. But that’s easier said than done, especially if these people are family, colleagues, or other people with whom we live or work closely. We’ve all been around those people who can leave us feeling drained or a bit "off" after an encounter with them.

Brit Barron gets it. Those people who hurt us with their bigotry and ignorance . . . they’re often the people we love: They’re our friends, our parents, our grandparents, and even our religious leaders. And what we want is for them to grow, not to be canceled by an online mob. So what can it look like to strive for justice without causing new harm or giving up on the people we love? Barron shows that the way forward is to create a gracious and risky space for people to learn and evolve. We need to form the sorts of relationships where we can tell difficult truths, set boundaries, forgive, and share stories of our own failings.

Do you wish there was a way to raise well-behaved children without punishment? Are you afraid the only alternative is being overly indulgent? With Positive Discipline, an encouragement model based on both kindness and firmness, you don't have to choose between these two extremes. Using these 49 Positive Discipline tools honed and perfected after years of real-world research and feedback, you'll be able to work with your children instead of against them.

With few exceptions, parenting books, websites, and podcasts emphasize the critical role of the parent in shaping a child’s destiny. But the obsession with parenting ignores a fundamental biological fact: that genetics affect every aspect of human behavior, and every child is uniquely “coded” with predispositions that affect everything from fearfulness, to impulsivity, to happiness.