What would you do if your six-year-old got suspended from school for his bad behavior? Or your twelve-year-old started sneaking out of the house? Or your sixteen-year-old fell down drunk at a party and broke her nose on the keg? "Parenting Is a Contact Sport" will help parents build permanent and powerful relationships with their children that will see them through tough challenges. Skillfully balancing information from her years as a therapist and her experience as the mother of two girls, the author guides the reader through the biggest problem areas of parenting, including communication, discipline, belonging, honesty, and self-esteem. Readers will learn that the key is to establish a connection through physical, verbal, and even unspoken contact. This book will stimulate thinking about families and provide courage to improve, renew, or repair damaged relationships. Providing specific behavioral advice sup-ported by anecdotal material, the author coaches readers through the tough spots of making contact and deepening bonds - in the present and for the future.