What all people have in common with becoming parents are feelings of stress and confusion, as well as a new chapter in life and feelings of joy.

Every parent's journey is unique; some are raising children with chronic health challenges that require additional caregiving skills. Others are raising children who are reaching puberty and are under pressure to face the world.

There are also some parents who have new challenges in raising adult children. Parents have recently come across some excellent books that provide timely and practical, science-based guidance on how to foster love, connection, and resilience.

These books cover topics such as how our upbringing is connected to the natural world, how parents can overcome negative childhood experiences, and how parental well-being is a predictor of children's well-being.

The Evolved Nest

The title of Darcia Narvaez and GA Bradshaw's book, The Evolved Nest: Nature's Way of Raising Children and Creating Connected Communities, refers to the adaptive system inherited from our ancestors that children add adults over time.

He wrote in the book, “Each species' nest is a tried and true system that has been validated over millions of years.

The more animals and their offspring are adapted to the natural environment, the better chance they have to thrive." The same goes for humans.

We and our children do best in the conditions in which we as a species thrive." Narvaez and Bradshaw provide a deep understanding of how both humans and animals raise their young in this scientifically sound book.

Each chapter explores how a species' elaborate nest supports the rearing of young and how they develop independent play and a sense of moral commitment.

All chapters delve into neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary biology to explain how a nest is designed to meet the needs of the offspring of a particular species.

Never Enough

The constant pressure to do better has a negative influence on children's mental health, as Jennifer Brehney-Wallace explores in her book "Never Enough: An Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic, and What We Can Do About It."

Wallace illustrates how we may teach our kids that their personalities matter more than who they are by fusing the science of resilience with true tales from kids and parents.

Brehni Wallace explains that parents' anxiety about children's uncertain futures fuels a negative performance culture.

At the root of this uncertainty and anxiety are economic and social trends, such as rising income inequality, lack of access and opportunity, and changes in government social policies.

Brehni Wallace warns that children can lose their sense of self-worth when they are not meeting the unrealistically high expectations for success set by their families, schools, and society.

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Advanced Parenting

In her book "Advanced Parenting: Advice for Helping Kids Through Diagnoses, Differences, and Mental Health Challenges," Kelly Frieden offers advice to parents who wish to know how to raise their children in the face of serious chronic health issues that call for specialised treatment.

Author Kelly Frieden is a paediatrician who has worked at a children's hospital caring for children with complex health challenges such as congenital heart disease and breathing problems.

The book encourages parents to consider how we adapt to these childcare challenges and how our tendencies help expose us to both strengths and weaknesses.

It describes how to notice and change destructive thought patterns and how to become aware of and work with our default ways of coping with stress.

Other basic skills include finding out what matters most to children and balancing that with our own perspectives and needs as parents.

You and Your Adult Child

Finding books for parents about adult children is difficult. Nurturing doesn't end when our children graduate from high school. Many parents of young adult children face new challenges.

Lawrence Steinberg wrote her book, "You and Your Child: How to Grow Together in Challenging Times," for parents who want to find answers to these questions when their children are in their 20s and 30s. So what should be done in the matter of upbringing?

Author Lawrence Steinberg is a leading developmental psychologist whose research has focused on parenting and adolescence during a nearly 50-year career.

In his book, he explains how economic and social trends, such as rising housing costs and the high costs of college students, have changed adult parenting significantly compared to previous generations.

Parents are more likely to be overly involved in their children's lives.

Moreover, it takes longer for adult children to transition into a traditional adult role, such as completing formal education, obtaining a job that can ensure financial independence, and building their own home.

The authors also explain how to help adult children with common mental health problems such as malnutrition and depression.