Rebel Moms

If you’re a mom (or mom-to-be) who wants to raise decent human beings, maintain your pre-baby identity, and not lose your sh*t along the way, congrats: you’ve just found the parenting book of your dreams. The Rebel Mama’s Handbook for (Cool) Moms is a girlfriend’s guide to early motherhood. It’s the Coles Notes for all those boring baby books you never read. It’s the instruction manual you wish your kid(s) came with - complete with cocktail list. Welcome to motherhood. Let’s do this.

Modern motherhood has changed; it isnt just frilly aprons, mini-vans, and soccer practice anymore. You are a modern moma rebel momready to raise your kids while running a successful business, starting a band, or finding your voice, while doing the things you love and fighting for what's right. Even so, the path to epic mom rebellion is not always easy. Meet the women who have seen, conquered, and survivedmaking a difference, doing things their own way and on their own terms. They are activists, teachers, veterans, firefighters, pin-ups, fast food workers, tattoo artists, and more. A rebel mom has no set definition beyond her tendency to elude definition. These women, from varying places and backgrounds, have seen it all: divorce, abuse, depression, and disability. They have succeeded and raised children with tough grins on their faces. Are you a new or expecting mother? Are you a mother who's fed up with the super-mom/super-woman myth? Or are you a pro whos been there and done that, but would still love to learn from other rebel moms? Its never too late to learn a new trick, and motherhood is never the same for anyone. Cultures change, as do child-rearing practices, but certain aspects of being a mom are universal and timelesslove, support, and strength. The rebel moms have mastered the art of motherhood, and you can embrace the revolution.

What do Beyoncé and Blue Ivy or Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst have in common? What about Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton or Karen E. Laine and Mina Starsiak Hawk? They’re all incredible mother-daughter duos who have used their creativity, cleverness, and unique talents to do something remarkable—and they are all featured in Rebel Girls Powerful Pairs: 25 Tales of Mothers and Daughters. Celebrate the strength of family bonds through the inspiring fairytale-like stories of authors, activists, skiers, dancers, pilots, hikers, humanitarians, entrepreneurs, and more. Readers will join Beyoncé and Blue Ivy as they produce a Grammy-winning song. They’ll travel to the front lines of World War I to help wounded soldiers alongside Marie Curie and Irène Joliot-Curie. And they’ll climb aboard a tiny plane for a 1,200-mile-long journey with Laurie and Arianna Strand to save a pelican in need! Rebel Girls Powerful Pairs showcases many of the wonderful ways mothers and daughters work together to make the world a better, healthier, and more vibrant place. This collection of 25 stories follows in the footsteps of the best-selling series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. It is illustrated by female and nonbinary artists from around the world. Unlock bonus audio stories of some of the extraordinary women and girls featured in this book on the Rebel Girls app. Whenever you come across a bookmark icon on the page, scan the QR code, and you’ll be whisked away on an audio adventure! You’ll also discover 100+ creative activities and stories of even more trailblazing women on the app.

Getting pregnant and having a baby was nothing like type-A Laura had planned. Tossed completely off balance, and in the midst of a global pandemic, she went from rule follower and spreadsheet organizer to rebel mama by the time her son, Jack, celebrated his first birthday. Join Laura in redefining motherhood norms through the milestones of getting pregnant, giving birth, circumcision, breastfeeding, sleeping, introducing solids, and all the phases in between. Her story shares what worked for her, and unlike many parenting books, is not meant to be a how to guide. Rather, it is meant to invite every fellow mama to awaken her rebellious side and storm the gates of any modern parenting practice that goes against her instinct! "With absolute honesty, exquisite perceptiveness, and a commitment to bury the concept of what is 'normal' for babies or parenting, Laura Rafferty (alias Rebel Mama) leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination and in so doing provides often a hilarious but remarkably comprehensive, edgy but always realistic and a warm-hearted picture of the magisterial highs and the inevitable challenges of becoming and being a mother. It is an intensely personal journey that she takes you on (no scientists needed here) an intensity that gives great vibrancy to the larger point she makes, and that is to trust yourself and your baby because there are as many ways to be that alleged elusive 'good mother' as there are mothers who strive to be one, that is, who strive and care to make their baby safe, secure and loved in whatever ways are possible, given her circumstances. I highly recommend the journey she will take you on." - Dr. James McKenna, Director of Mother Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory at University of Notre Dame and author of Safe Infant Sleep "Rebel Mama is a fun, relaxing read with a powerful underlying message. When you become a rebel mama, you realize you have the power to create your own birth experience. You don't need permission. You seek the support you need and you get it. Laura's personal style puts you at ease and delivers her message with authority and grace. Pregnant couples will enjoy every single page of this guide to creating the birth they want, navigating the system, and launching into parenthood whether you are having your first or your last baby. Birth professionals would benefit, also, from taking notice of what families want. Rebel Mama is a five star experience!" - Barbara Harper, RN, CLD, CCCE, Midwife, Founder/Director of Waterbirth International and Author of Gentle Birth ChoicesReaders' Favorite 5 Star Review: "Upon deciding to have a child, the author realizes that in order to succeed and thrive in her new role she will need to abandon her previous approach of meticulously planning out her life and become a 'rebel mama.' This book is not intended to be a guide for new parents, but rather it is an opportunity for one new parent to share what helped her through the trials and tribulations of first-time parenthood. This is a very candid sharing of a very personal experience in the author's life. The lockdowns around the globe that were initiated in response to the Covid-19 pandemic pushed people into situations that gave them a new perspective on their lives, and the idea of going through that experience whilst also becoming a parent for the first time boggles my mind with the emotional implications. Laura Rafferty, though, is a mother who learns to take life in her stride, and her skilled prose brings her journey alive with warmth and humor. Rebel Mama is a great read for first-time parents who are feeling overwhelmed. Not because it will provide them with step-by-step instructions on what to do but because it gives a feeling of solidarity for those parents who are overwhelmed by the process and are finding it hard to adapt to the new life with their child."

This warm and witty celebration of moms is the perfect gift to share on Mother’s Day. How to Spot a Mom is a tongue-in-cheek tribute and ode to all moms, everywhere. Young readers and parents alike can learn all about moms, from what they are (super-humans!), to some of the special skills they have, including detecting fibs, solving mysteries, and conflict resolution. This beautifully illustrated book is the perfect "Spotter’s Guide" to moms. You’ll discover that all moms are unique, and you’ll meet many different types of mom—from the Outdoorsy Mom who loves fresh air and the Chatty Mom who’s always got a story, to the Rebel Mom who never reads the instructions. You may spot yourself, or your own mom on the pages, too!

This charming picture book biography tells the inspiring story of Anne Bradstreet, a gifted Puritan writer who overcame barriers to become America's first published poet.

A resource for daughters of mothers with narcissistic personality disorder explains how to manage feelings of inadequacy and abandonment in the face of inappropriate maternal expectations and conditional love, in a step-by-step guide that shares recommendations for creating a personalized program for self-protection and recovery. 50,000 first printing.

Prevent and counteract the general anxiety and emotional fragility prevalent in children and teenagers today—a new parenting philosophy and strategies that give children the tools to flourish on their own. “A master synthesizer of attachment science, medical practice, and his own experience as a father, Harold Koplewicz capably and compassionately leads us through the art of scaffolding, from early childhood through the important adolescent period.”—Daniel J. Siegel, MD, author of The Whole Brain Child Just as sturdy scaffolding is necessary when erecting a building and will come down when the structure grows stable, good parenting provides children with steady and warm emotional nourishment on the path toward independence. Never-ending parental problem-solving and involvement can have the opposite effect, enabling fragility and anxiety over time. In The Scaffold Effect, world-renowned child psychiatrist Harold Koplewicz introduces the powerful and clinically tested idea that this deliberate build-up and then gradual loosening of parental support is the single most effective way to encourage kids to climb higher, try new things, grow from mistakes, and develop character and strength. Explaining the building blocks of an effective scaffold from infancy through young adulthood, he expertly guides parents through the strategies for raising empowered, capable people, including: • Lay a solid foundation: The parent-child relationship needs to be made from the concrete mixture of emotional availability, positive reinforcement, clear messaging, and consistent rules. From this supportive base, your will forge a bond that will survive adolescence and grow stronger into adulthood. • Empower growth: Skyscraper or sprawling ranch—the style of your child’s construction is not up to you! Scaffold parenting validates and accommodates the shape the child is growing into. Any effort to block or control growth will actually stunt it. • Stay on their level: Imagine being on the ground floor of a house and trying to talk to someone on the roof. The person on the roof will have to “talk down” to you or yell. If your child’s building and your scaffold are on the same level, you can speak directly, look each other in the eye, and keep the lines of communication open. Drawing on Dr. Koplewicz’s decades of clinical and personal experience, The Scaffold Effect is a compassionate, street-smart, and essential guide for the ages. All of the author’s proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Child Mind Institute.