New Book Provides Parents a How-To Guide to Raising Healthy, Happy and Successful Children

Studio City, Calif. (PRWEB) October 23, 2007 -- Raising children in the 21st Century is both parenting in the worst of times and parenting in the best of times according to child psychologist Kerby T. Alvy, Ph.D.

Dr. Alvy is the author of a new book "The Positive Parent: Raising Healthy, Happy and Successful Children - From Birth Through Adolescence." In it he provides a multitude of essential resources and expert advice for navigating the challenges and opportunities that today's families face.

Dr. Alvy, founder and executive director of the Center for the Improvement of Child Caring (http://www.ciccparenting.org) and a nationally respected authority on child development for more than 30 years, shows parents how to help their children reach their full potential through the power of positive parenting.

"Raising children is the most important job any of us will ever have and it should be every parents right to receive excellent education and support, " Dr. Alvy says.

One of the reasons Dr. Alvy wrote the book is because he firmly believes that childhood obesity, child abuse, school dropout, juvenile delinquency and gangs...and other serious social problems can be solved through effective - and positive - parenting. With humor and passion, Dr. Alvy provides the necessary skills, helpful tips and guidelines to help moms and dads be the best parents they can be now? and in the future.

What makes "The Positive Parent" different from most of the other books on parenting that are currently on the market? It provides parents, teachers and others a systematic, easy-to-understand and follow approach to raising children from birth through adolescence.

One of the things that makes "The Positive Parent" unique is that it provides 16 specific parenting guidelines that teach parents how to;

* Give Children Warmth, Acceptance and Respect

* Enjoy Child Development and Be Alert to Special Needs

* Use Firm and Fair Leadership

* Avoid Corporal Punishment and Verbal Aggression

* Start Early in Preparing Children for School

* Create a Home Environment That Supports Education

* Be an Active Partner with Your Child's School

* Manage Your Child's Obesity and Eating-Related Problems

* Teach Children About Their Own and Other Cultures

* Teach Children About Substance Abuse

* Teach Children About Sexuality

* Teach Children to Be Financially Successful and Giving

* Manage Children's Media and Technology Exposure

* Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

* Nurture the Relationship In Which You Are Raising Your Children

* Set a Good Example of Life Long Learning

While a major portion of the book is devoted to the guidelines, "The Positive Parent" also includes chapters on the issues and challenges that are particular to raising children in modern times, as well as the research that points to the types of parenting that are most beneficial as well as those that are least helpful.

There is also an important chapter on the Parenting of Children with Special Needs.

As an added bonus, there are chapters about the modern parenting and family skill-building programs that give today's parents an educational advantage over all prior generations of parents, as well as other parenting education resources like the best parenting websites on the Internet.

Dr. Alvy also introduces parents to, and encourages them to become part of, a new grassroots effort to make effective parenting a societal priority through NEPI, the National Effective Parenting Initiative (http://www.EffectiveParentingUSA.org). "The Positive Parent" also includes selections from 'The CICC Discovery Tool' - a series of age-specific questionnaires for tracking the development of children birth to 5.

For more on "The Positive Parent" go to http://www.PositiveParent.Info

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