Humorous stories & sound advice for parents.

There's a new set of 3Rs for our kids-respect, responsibility, and resilience-to better prepare them for life in the real world. Once developed, these skills let kids take charge, and let parents step back, to the benefit of all. Casting hover mothers and helicopter parents aside, Vicki Hoefle encourages a different, counter-intuitive-yet much more effective-approach: for parents to sit on their hands, stay on the sidelines, even if duct tape is required, so that the kids step up. Duct Tape Parenting gives parents a new perspective on what it means to be effective, engaged parents and to enable kids to develop confidence through solving their own problems. This is not a book about the parenting strategy of the day-what the author calls "Post-It Note Parenting"-but rather a relationship-based guide to span all ages and stages of development. Witty, straight-shooting Hoefle addresses frustrated parents everywhere who are ready to raise confident, capable children to go out in the world.

Offers advice on what to include in a hiking or travel repair kits and duct tape do's and don'ts. This book includes sections on caring for technical wool garments and repairing softshell fabrics, single-wall tents, hydration systems, and more.

Pablo Perez is a 12-year-old poor kid without much going for him. His classmates have dubbed him "Duct Tape" because his tattered discount-store sneakers are held together with...you guessed it, duct tape. He can't escape the bullying. Pablo's luck, however, changes after he finds a $20 gold coin while swimming in a river near his home. Pablo later buys a $1 treasure map at the county fair. The map shows the route to the "lost treasure" of Jesse James. Pablo can't help but wonder: Is there a link between the map and the gold coin? He is determined to find out, and he, his 9-year-old sister and 13-year-old cousin hire an ill-mannered cave guide, and begin a treacherous underground adventure in search of treasure.

Baby Proof Emily Griffin A novel that explores the question: Is there ever a deal-breaker when it comes to true love? Claudia Parr has everything going for her. A successful editor at a publishing house in Manhattan, she's also a devoted sister, aunt, and friend. Yet she's never wanted to become a mother--which she discovers is a major hurdle to marriage, something she desperately wants. Then she meets her soul mate Ben who, miraculously, feels the same way about parenthood. The two fall in love and marry, committed to one another and their life of adventure and discovery. All's well until one of them has a change of heart. Someone wants a baby after all. This is the witty, heartfelt story about what happens to the perfect couple when they suddenly want different things and there is no compromise. It's about deciding what is most important in life and wagering everything to get it. And most of all, it's about the things we will--and won't--do for love.

In the follow-up to Carrie Jones’ Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend, Belle has a cool boyfriend and everyone else—her mom, her best friend, and her ex—are all happily ensconced in new romance. So what’s wrong with Belle and Tom? Nothing is what’s the matter. No sex, no “I love you.” Nada. What’s a girl to do?

Women who opt not to be mothers are frequently warned that they will regret their decision later in life, yet we rarely talk about the possibility that the opposite might also be true—that women who have children might regret it. Drawing on years of research interviewing women from a variety of socioeconomic, educational, and professional backgrounds, sociologist Orna Donath treats regret as a feminist issue: as regret marks the road not taken, we need to consider whether alternative paths for women currently are blocked off. She asks that we pay attention to what is forbidden by rules governing motherhood, time, and emotion, including the cultural assumption that motherhood is a “natural” role for women—for the sake of all women, not just those who regret becoming mothers. If we are disturbed by the idea that a woman might regret becoming a mother, Donath says, our response should not be to silence and shame these women; rather, we need to ask honest and difficult questions about how society pushes women into motherhood and why those who reconsider it are still seen as a danger to the status quo. Groundbreaking, thoughtful, and provocative, this is an especially needed book in our current political climate, as women's reproductive rights continue to be at the forefront of national debates.