PARENTING is considered one of the world’s toughest jobs, which will have you constantly questioning what’s the next step to take as you strive to raise well-adjusted and confident kids.

 The answers to your questions don’t always come easy, but thanks to a new book published by Drs Faith Linton and Barry Davidson, these answers are a bit more accessible. That’s because the book, Answers to Questions Parents Ask, addresses most of the issues parents are likely to encounter from the birth of their child well into their teenage years.

“It is significant because parenting is the most important job in the world and nobody teaches us how to parent. What this book does, is to provide skills for the parent in terms of how to parent and how to be effective in today’s Jamaica,” explained Dr Davidson, who is a founding director and chief executive officer of Family Life Ministries.

The book looks at topics such as first time parenting, nutrition, emotional intelligence, sexuality, adolescence, the pre-teen years, speech and language, growth of intelligence, relationship and firmness, and how to bless your child.

The parenting manual — as it is called — comes with a foreword from Dr Maureen Samms-Vaughan, Professor of Child Health, Child Development & Behaviour Development in the Department of Child and Adolescent Health at the University of the West Indies; and an endorsement on the back by international bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell.

 “Parenting has been recognised as an important determinant of the future of nations. Emotionally and physically healthy children lead to competent adults and competent adults to successful communities and progressive nations,” said Dr Samms-Vaughan.

 The book may be sourced through Family Life Ministries.

— Nadine Wilson