Family Life

The American family is celebrated each year as part of National Family Week. According to the National Family Week website, the designation is "…designed to reinforce and encourage healthy family life by recognizing and appreciating their role in caring for individual members, thus contributing to a strong community."

The first Family Week was in 1972. It is interesting to note that since that time, the dynamics of families in the United States have changed considerably. According to The First Measure Century by Theodore Caplow, in 1970 a married couple headed 71% of American households. By 1998, that number had dropped to 53%. The number can be attributed to an increase in people living alone as well as the rise of single parent families.

National Family Week is a celebration of all families. Here are some helpful books, websites, magazines and movies that should inspire, uplift and inform.

How-To Books for Families

How to Bury a Goldfish: ...and 113 Other Family Rituals for Everyday Life by Virginia E. Lang and Louise B. Nayer: A collection of simple celebrations for families to share.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen Covey: The author of the popular "seven habits" series offers insights into the lives of cohesive and successful families. (Also available in Audiocassette format.)

Three Steps to a Strong Family by Linda and Richard Eyre: Parents of nine children, Linda and Richard Eyre offer concrete family advice in the areas of rules, finance and rituals.

Recreation and Leisure

Fun With the Family in Michigan: Hundreds of Ideas for Day Trips With the Kids by Bill Semion: Looking for some place to take the kids for the day, week or weekend? Check out this book for tips on trips here in the great state of Michigan.

Family Travel Activities in Michigan: This is another Special Collection of the Canton Public Library, featuring books, websites and other resources about "places to visit and recreational activities that will excite the kids."

365 Activities for Fitness, Food, and Fun for the Whole Family: Super Sports, Great Games, Exciting Experiments, and Nutrition Nuggets by Julia E. Sweet: Get your family moving and keep them healthy with this easy to read book!

501 Fun-to-Make Family Crafts edited by Carol Field Dahlstrom: Organized by season, this book is packed with simple, yet fun ideas. Step-by-step instructions are included for each project.

Parenting

365 Positive Strategies for Single Parenting by Susan B. Brown and Monica Simmons: An uplifting, easy-to-read book for single parents. Provides tips, advice and information regarding raising a child on one's own.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Single Parenting (e-book) by Sara Dulaney: Helpful topics such as time and resource management and child development issues are included in this easy-to-read book. Also includes an extensive resource appendix.

The Don't Sweat Guide for Parents : Reduce Stress and Enjoy Your Kids More by the editors of Don't Sweat Press: Provides tips and strategies for stressed parents to take time out and enjoy their children.

I Only Say This Because I Love You by Deborah Tannen: Drawing on her linguistics background, Tannen shows how families communicate and explains how to improve family relationships through interaction. (Also available in Audiocassette format.)

Parenting With Love and Logic by Foster Cline: A practical guide to child-raising that teaches children how to solve their own problems. (Also available in Audiocassette format.)

Newborn Care: Babies in Their First Year, And Baby Makes Four (or More), Single Parenting: A Self-Help Resource and Toilet Training: Four Special Collections of the Canton Public Library that pinpoint some of the best resources about their respective topics.

Family Literacy

Deconstructing Penguins: Parents, Kids and the Bond of Reading by Lawrence Goldstone: Noted book club experts delve into children’s classics such as Frindle, Mr. Popper’s Penguins and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler in this dynamic guide which examines key elements, themes, settings, characters, point of view, climax and conflict to encourage meaningful book discussions between parents and children.

Family Literacy: Easy Ways for Families to Read and Write Together by Marcia Ardis: An easy-to-read book designed to help children develop positive attitudes for lifelong love of reading and writing.

How to Get Your Child to Love Reading by Esme Raji Codell: This detailed and well-organized book provides reading lists of suggested books for children of all ages.

Reading Raps: A Book Club Guide for Librarians, Kids and Families by Rita Soltan: This guide to book clubs is organized around books in four categories of readers: family, mother-daughter, father-son, and reader's rap, a child-only program. Titles are listed along with reading level, genre, awards, plot summary, characterization, books with similar themes, and discussion questions. The author explains how to conduct a book discussion and the index helps you find a book by title, theme, grade level, genre and author.

50 Simple Things You Can Do to Raise a Child Who Loves to Read by Kathy A. Zahler: Provides tips and activities to promote a lifelong love of reading in children.

Family Health

The Children's Hospital Guide to Your Child's Health and Development by Children's Hospital Boston: A comprehensive guide to children's health offering valuable, easy-to-access information on symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

Kids' Fitness & Health: A Special Collection of the Canton Public Library that focuses on the exercise and nutritional needs of children, from preschoolers to preteens.

Mayo Clinic Family Health Book edited by Scott Litin: Provides a wealth of health information regarding the entire family. Includes issues in development, preventive medicine, first aid, and diseases and disorders. (Also available in CD-ROM format.)

Weight Watchers Family Power by Karen Miller-Kovach: Family Power addresses the adult and childhood obesity epidemics with a revolutionary program that families can follow together, without the need for rigidly structured diet and exercise plans.

Family Issues

The Average Family's Guide to Financial Freedom by Bill Toohey and Mary Toohey: A timely book regarding financial issues for families. Includes the topics of building assets, saving, planning and investing to secure a strong financial future.

The Broken Hearth: Reversing the Moral Collapse of the American Family by William J. Bennett: The author of The Book of Virtues takes a critical look at the downfall of the nuclear family.

Coping With Divorce, Single Parenting, and Remarriage: A Risk and Resiliency Perspective (e-book) edited by E. Mavis Hetherington: A look at several in-depth studies regarding the effects of divorce, single parenting and remarriage on the dynamics of the family.

What's Happening to Home? Balancing Work, Life and Refuge in the Information Age by Maggie Jackson: An in-depth look at the transformation of the home and family in the 21st century.

The Widening Gap: Why America's Working Families Are in Jeopardy and What Can Be Done About It by Jody Heymann: A study regarding the failure of government and industry's response to the issues facing working families, such as child care and sick leaves.

Work & Family: Essays From the "Work & Family" Column of the Wall Street Journal by Sue Shellenbarger: The author of the "Work and Family" essays in the Wall Street Journal offers advice on such problems that many families have, including balancing home and work, child care, and difficult bosses.

Reading About Families (Fiction and Nonfiction)

Callie's Tally: An Accounting of Baby's First Year (or What My Daughter Owes Me) by Betsy Howie: The author's quirky and humorous look at her daughter's first year of life. Nonfiction.

Forever, Erma: Best-Loved Writing From America's Favorite Humorist by Erma Bombeck: A collection of nearly 200 of Erma Bombeck's columns regarding her most famous subjects: her children and family. Nonfiction.

Growing Up by Russell Baker: This Pulitzer Prize-winning biography traces the author’s family life in the mountains of West Virginia during the Great Depression. At the age of five, his father died, leaving his two siblings, himself and a mother determined her children would succeed. Through early years of hardship, the author eventually became a distinguished columnist for the New York Times. Nonfiction.

No More Words: A Journal of My Mother, Anne Morrow Lindbergh by Reeve Lindbergh: A memoir by the daughter of Anne Morrow Lindbergh regarding her mother's last year of life. Nonfiction.

One True Thing by Anna Quindlan: Ellen Gulden, a newly graduated journalist, has to put her career on hold to nurse her dying mother. In the process, she discovers family secrets, a new vision of her mother, plus a new view regarding herself. Available in book and audiobook formats. Fiction.

Patty Jane's House of Curl by Lorna Landvik: Lovingly told by daughter Nora, Patty Jane's House of Curl is the heartwarming story of two sisters, a disappearing husband, a devoted mother-in-law and a beauty salon of quirky characters. Available in both book and audiobook formats. Fiction.

The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio: How My Mother Raised Ten Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan: The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio introduces Evelyn Ryan, an enterprising woman who kept poverty at bay with wit, poetry and perfect prose during the "contest era" of the 1950s and 1960s. Nonfiction. (Also available in Large Print, Audiocassette and Audio CD formats.)

Websites

Focus on the Family: Excellent parenting advice from a Christian perspective.

FamilyFun: A comprehensive site with tips and advice regarding many aspects of family life including travel, crafts and child rearing.

National Family Week: An in-depth site regarding National Family Week. Includes the history of the proclamation, scheduled events, and family resources.

Parents Without Partners: A non-profit, international support group for families headed by single parents. Check out information for chapters here in Michigan.

Magazines

Family Circle: Tips, ideas and information regarding all aspects of family life including parenting, health, fitness and nutrition.

Family Fun: Brought to you by the folks at Disney. Geared to enhance the time you spend with your children.

Pack-o-Fun: Packed with tons of crafts and activities geared toward children ages six to 12.

MetroParent: Available here at the library for free! Full of articles and information for parents of metropolitan Detroit children.