An innovative approach for parents of challenging boys to prevent meltdowns and put out fires

Parenting is often called the toughest job you will ever love. If you have a challenging boy, one who won’t take no for an answer, argues every decision, and explodes at the slightest provocation, you know how incredibly tough parenting can be. But with the right tools, you can bring out the best in your child—and in you as a parent.

In Challenging Boys: A Proven Plan for Keeping Your Cool and Helping Your Son Thrive, Timothy Davis draws on his experience as a child and family psychologist, father of three, and volunteer firefighter to help parents remain calm and in control even when it feels like the house is on fire during yet another meltdown. Like a firefighter, Davis teaches parents how to create a plan ahead of time to prepare for emergencies. He shows how to identify and manage specific triggers, recognize the patterns that challenging episodes follow, and plan for de-escalating a meltdown when it does occur. This plan is not a one-size-fits-all approach, because every boy is unique; instead, it is based on the child’s individual needs and each parent’s strength.

While challenging boys can make life difficult for parents, teachers, siblings, and peers, Davis emphasizes that these children actually aren’t oppositional at all. They want to please, but often lack the skills to do so. Challenging Boys teaches parents how to help their boys develop these skills so that their natural gifts can shine.

J. Timothy Davis, PhD, has spent the last three decades working with challenging boys and their families. He is a former researcher of male development and as a psychologist he specializes in treating males of all ages. He was also a volunteer firefighter with the Swarthmore Fire and Protective Association. Dr. Davis’s writing has won prestigious academic awards, including the Menninger Award of the American Psychoanalytic Association and the Deutsche Prize of the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. He served on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School for twenty-five years and currently is in private practice near Boston.

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