Smart Families

Leading stepfamily expert Ron Deal offers a revised and expanded edition of his signature resource, which addresses key concerns and practical issues facing every stepfamily.

Blended families face unique challenges, and sadly, good intentions aren’t always enough. With so many complex relationships involved, all the normal rules for family life change, even how you apply something as simple as the five love languages. That’s why Gary Chapman, the best-selling author of The Five Love Languages and national expert on stepfamilies, Ron Deal, join together in this book to teach you how the five love languages can help your blended family.

Whether you're a young adult who is stalled on the journey to independence or a concerned parent still sharing the family nest, this compassionate book is for you. Providing a fresh perspective on the causes of failure to launch, the expert authors present a 10-step plan that helps grown kids and parents work together to achieve liftoff. 

Money issues are a frequent source of conflict in any marriage. But blended families are a monetary minefield. Debts, bills, and child support payments from previous relationships often influence the finances of a blended family. And planning for college expenses, retirement, and inheritance gets even more complicated in stepfamilies.

There's nothing more frustrating than watching your bright, talented son or daughter struggle with everyday tasks like finishing homework, putting away toys, or following instructions at school. Your "smart but scattered" child might also have trouble coping with disappointment or managing anger. Drs. Peg Dawson and Richard Guare have great news: There's a lot you can do to help.

Being the parent of a smart child is great - until your son or daughter starts asking whether global warming is real, if you are going to die, and what will happen if they don't get into college. Kids who are advanced intellectually often let their imaginations run wild and experience fears beyond their years. So what can you do to help? In Why Smart Kids Worry, Allison Edwards guides you through the mental and emotional process of where your child's fears come from and why they are so hard to move past. Edwards focuses on how to parent a child who is both smart and anxious.

If you are considering remarriage and want to do everything you can to ensure a happy and fulfilling union, turn to Ron Deal and the Smart Stepfamily series. This is the ideal book for engaged or pre-engaged couples who have at least one child from a previous relationship, offering premarital counsel about how to prepare to blend family relationships, parenting, finances, rituals, and daily routines for your new life together.

You can’t just use a girl and ghost her. But this guy did. My roommate has some hot jerk lead her on and break her heart, but what he doesn’t count on is me. I’m tired of seeing her hurt, so it’s my turn to play ball with his heart. This guy is going to fall in love with me and then poof—I’ll leave him dizzy in love and wondering how he’ll survive without me. The jerk needs a taste of his own medicine. The only problem? Holy hell is he fine. Like drool and stare fine. Of course he’s not just any regular dude. He’s gotta be rich, talented, and swoony. I’m in trouble. I ...

In Smart Money Smart Kids, financial expert and best-selling author Dave Ramsey and his daughter Rachel Cruze equip parents to teach their children how to win with money. Starting with the basics like working, spending, saving, and giving, and moving into more challenging issues like avoiding debt for life, paying cash for college, and battling discontentment, Dave and Rachel present a no-nonsense, common-sense approach for changing your family tree.

We may not realize it, but children are hyperaware of money. They have scores of questions about its nuances that parents often don't answer, or know how to answer well. But for Ron Lieber, a personal finance columnist and father, good parenting means talking about money with our kids much more often. When parents avoid these conversations, they lose a tremendous opportunity—not just to model important financial behaviors, but also to imprint lessons about what their family cares about most.

If you're the parent of a "smart but scattered" teen, trying to help him or her grow into a self-sufficient, responsible adult may feel like a never-ending battle. Now you have an alternative to micromanaging, cajoling, or ineffective punishments. This positive guide provides a science-based program for promoting teens' independence by building their executive skills - the fundamental brain-based abilities needed to get organized, stay focused, and control impulses and emotions.

In Brain Rules for Baby, Dr. John Medina shares what the latest science says about how to raise smart and happy children from zero to five. This book is destined to revolutionize parenting. Just one of the surprises: The best way to get your children into the college of their choice? Teach them impulse control. Brain Rules for Baby bridges the gap between what scientists know and what parents practice.

Are you trying to co-parent with a narcissist? Stuck in a high-conflict custody battle with your narcissistic ex? You are not alone. There are problems and issues that are common with someone disordered and disorderly. Learn Grace's Super-Smart Strategies for navigating the narcissist in Family Court. It all comes down to creating solid strategies.

For children with sensory difficulties - those who struggle to process everyday sensations and exhibit unusual behaviors such as avoiding or seeking out touch, movement, sounds, and sights - this groundbreaking audiobook is an invaluable resource. Sensory processing challenges affect all kinds of kids - from those with developmental delays, learning and attenion issues, or autism spectrum disorder to those without any other issues. Now in its third edition, Raising a Sensory Smart Child is even more comprehensive and helpful than ever.

If you're the parent of a "smart but scattered" teen, trying to help him or her grow into a self-sufficient, responsible adult may feel like a never-ending battle. Now you have an alternative to micromanaging, cajoling, or ineffective punishments. This positive guide provides a science-based program for promoting teens' independence by building their executive skills - the fundamental brain-based abilities needed to get organized, stay focused, and control impulses and emotions.

"Smart" is a power word. Children who believe they’re smart excel more in school and approach life with greater confidence. But children who don’t can struggle to apply themselves. Do you wish your child could see how smart he or she is? Find hope in Eight Great Smarts. You’ll be empowered and equipped with new language and creative ideas. Dr. Kathy Koch loves seeing children flourish and helping parents make it happen—and it’s never too late to start. Now is the time to help your child be all that God designed him or her to be.

WARNING: Reading this book while on the throne will make your bathroom breaks exceptionally entertaining, potentially causing delays in resuming your regular schedule! Ever pondered why reading in the bathroom makes you feel extra enlightened? Or the surprising truth about why some birds can sleep while standing up? (Hint: It's not due to their impeccable balance!) Hold onto your plungers, curious minds! Get ready to embark on an unforgettable adventure through history, science, pop culture and the bizarre... in the pages of "At Home On The Throne", a hilariously addictive Bathroom Reader! ...

Rich Kid Smart Kid is written for parents who value education, want to give their children a financial head start in life, and are willing to take an active role to make that happen. In the Information Age, a good education is more important than ever. But the current educational system may not be providing all the information a child needs to thrive in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing world. This book was designed to fill in the gaps and to give your child the same inspiring and practical knowledge that Robert’s rich dad gave him.

It’s him. Always has been. But the timing has never been right. And why would a guy like him— rich, drop-dead gorgeous, and kind—ever be interested in little old me? He owns a massive hotel chain. I’m living in my brother’s rinky-dink basement suite. I have bigger things to worry about than my teenage crush coming back to haunt me. But what if that crush also hands me the big break I need? How could I say no when the guy of my dreams also offers me my dream job? Heck yes I want to work for him this Christmas season. Cue holiday music, mistletoe, and nostalgia. If I hadn’t ...

It's a new day, and Ayaan has woken up on the wrong side of the bed where nothing feels quite right. What if he doesn't know the answer at school? What if he messes up? But as he sets out that morning, all it takes is a few reminders from his mom and some friends in the neighborhood to remind him that a new day is a good day because...he is smart, he is blessed, and he can do anything!