Trying to prevent physical injuries by insisting, for example, that your kids wear bike helmets is one thing, but what about protecting them from emotional perils? In “An Ounce of Prevention: How Parents Can Stop Childhood Behavioral and Emotional Problems Before They Start” (HarperCollins, $24), Lawrence Shapiro, a child psychologist, offers advice on helping children grow into healthy adults.
Shapiro suggests parents pay closer attention to their kids’ emotional needs even before symptoms of trouble appear, and be systematic about helping them to develop inner resources.
To parents who feel their day consists of one long, unwinnable argument with their children, Kevin Leman offers encouragement.
In “Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours” (Revell, $12.99), an update of his 1984 book, Leman espouses what he calls “reality discipline,” based on New Testament accounts of Paul’s advice to the Ephesians (“Children, obey your parents; this is the right thing to do . . .”).
Leman, a child psychologist, is the author of 15 books, including “Growing Up Firstborn.”
