What passes for parenting “common sense” today often falls short of the mark. Many of the most common ways parents try to get kids to behave only adds to their stress and frustration, with little resulting improvement in children’s behavior. Now there is Parenting With Courage and Uncommon Sense, a book written to show parents what really works when it comes to raising children who grow up to be good people, not just good kids. The book was written by the founder of one of the largest and most successful non-profit parent education programs in the U.S., the Parent Encouragement Program (also known as PEP) that has flourished for more than 30 years. Linda E. Jessup, the founder of PEP, partnered with family therapist Emory Luce Baldwin to write this comprehensive parenting guide for Moms and Dads. Unique among most parenting books, Jessup and Baldwin illustrate their points with the story of a family struggling with familiar problems. Each chapter shows how the parents’ growing understanding and skills remedy their most frustrating problems while also creating more harmonious relationships between family members and a calmer, less stressful environment in the home. The lively format and true-to-life examples entertain readers, while also showing parents how to: • Understand why their children behave the way they do; • Help children end their repeated, disturbing misbehaviors; • Discover ways to encourage children to try harder to improve and deal better with their mistakes; and • How to use love, respect, and encouragement to teach children to grow kinder, more cooperative, and more helpful. Written as a book to support PEP’s parent education program, Parenting With Courage and Uncommon Sense is loaded with “take-away points” and detailed appendices that show readers how the ideas in the book can used in their own families. Parents will find this book a valuable resource to return to again and again, as their families grow more courageous and more uncommonly sensible. When Linda and I set out to write this book, we were determined to make it as true to life as possible. Readers will find many examples of the truly frustrating and discouraging moments in parenting: children whining, fighting with their parents and their siblings, and ignoring their responsibilities that illustrate family problems familiar to parents everywhere!  Fortunately, Linda and I had decades of experience as parents, parent educators and parent counselors to draw upon when writing this book. We've seen and heard firsthand how many parents feel embarrassed and afraid of 'doing it wrong,' worried and afraid that their children aren't turning out well, and upset and afraid that their children often seem angry, irritable, or unhappy. Thus, we believed that parents needed a book that would first help them understand and make sense of their children's behavior, and then give them the Courage  and Uncommon Sense  to gain new and better parenting skills. As authors, we drew our own Courage  from our own experience in learning, teaching and using these same insights and skills. We know this works. It has worked within our own families and the families of the more than 20,000 parents who have been taught these skills at the Parent Encouragement Program (PEP) in the Washington, DC area. Over the past three years, the feedback of hundreds of readers has helped us polish Parenting With Courage and Uncommon Sense  into a book that is a joy to read as well as a valuable resource for parents now and in the years to come.  "An excellent new book about good parenting." "The book provides a wealth of useful examples and crucial skills. The "take-away" points make these ideas highly usable for today's families. Since 1982, this practical, time tested philosophy has set the right course for over 20,000 parents and their families." Marguerite Kelly , Washington Post columnist and author of the The Family Almanac book series "I was captivated from beginning to end." "This book reads like a novel as you follow along while the Naylors struggle to overcome challenges, from small to large. You will identify with them (and learn from them) as they journey from discouragement to hope and change." Jane Nelsen, Ed.D. , author of the Positive Discipline series and founder of the internationally renowned Positive Discipline Program "This book is loaded with practical tools grounded in a consistent theory of family harmony." "As I read, I kept thinking that 'just this section alone is worth the whole book,' such as crystal clear explanations of the difference between praise and encouragement, why children seek negative attention, and how (and why) to set limits. I loved this elegant and powerful approach." Lawrence J. Cohen, Ph.D., author of Playful Parenting and The Opposite of Worry "Children need training and so do parents!" "How refreshing to read a book that gets good results without forcing, controlling, in