countercultural parenting Archives - Dr. Ray https://www.drray.com/product-tag/countercultural-parenting/ Confident Parenting. Stronger Marriages. Better Families. Fri, 13 Mar 2026 05:20:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Raising Upright Kids in an Upside-Down World – AUDIO DOWNLOAD https://www.drray.com/shop/raising-upright-kids-in-an-upside-down-world-audio-download/ https://www.drray.com/shop/raising-upright-kids-in-an-upside-down-world-audio-download/#respond Tue, 11 Nov 2025 19:54:40 +0000 https://www.drray.com/?post_type=product&p=10984 From raunchy television shows to immoral peers, the barriers to raising moral and mature children are higher and more treacherous than ever. In Raising Upright Kids in an Upside-Down World, acclaimed Catholic psychologist Dr. Ray Guarendi offers parents a roadmap through this difficult and sometimes frightening terrain.

Dr. Ray brings to bear his decades of clinical experience—and his experience as a father of ten—with some of the hardest questions of modern parenting:

  • How do you manage kids’ access to pop culture—and to the corporations who all want a piece of their allowance?
  • How do you respond to others, including your own family, who don’t approve of your countercultural parenting?
  • How do you handle the overabundance of stuff—toys, clothes, technology—that clogs up your family’s everyday life?
  • When do you give (or take away) a smartphone?
  • How much freedom do you give your kids to choose their own friends—and when do you step in when they make wrong choices?
  • What are the habits of mind you need to form in them so they can stand strong against a morally and spiritually corrosive culture?

Raising Upright Kids in an Upside-Down World is a clarion call for strong, confident parenting in confusing times. More importantly, Dr. Ray gives you the resources to grow in that confidence: the knowledge of an expert, the insight of an experienced clinician, and the wisdom of decades of fatherhood. This is a book for parents who aim to form children who value the things of God, no matter the work and the effort. Dr. Ray is here to tell you: it’s worth it.

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From raunchy television shows to immoral peers, the barriers to raising moral and mature children are higher and more treacherous than ever. In Raising Upright Kids in an Upside-Down World, acclaimed Catholic psychologist Dr. Ray Guarendi offers parents a roadmap through this difficult and sometimes frightening terrain.

Dr. Ray brings to bear his decades of clinical experience—and his experience as a father of ten—with some of the hardest questions of modern parenting:

  • How do you manage kids’ access to pop culture—and to the corporations who all want a piece of their allowance?
  • How do you respond to others, including your own family, who don’t approve of your countercultural parenting?
  • How do you handle the overabundance of stuff—toys, clothes, technology—that clogs up your family’s everyday life?
  • When do you give (or take away) a smartphone?
  • How much freedom do you give your kids to choose their own friends—and when do you step in when they make wrong choices?
  • What are the habits of mind you need to form in them so they can stand strong against a morally and spiritually corrosive culture?

Raising Upright Kids in an Upside-Down World is a clarion call for strong, confident parenting in confusing times. More importantly, Dr. Ray gives you the resources to grow in that confidence: the knowledge of an expert, the insight of an experienced clinician, and the wisdom of decades of fatherhood. This is a book for parents who aim to form children who value the things of God, no matter the work and the effort. Dr. Ray is here to tell you: it’s worth it.

Must purchase audio book for links to listen to the book.

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]]> https://www.drray.com/shop/raising-upright-kids-in-an-upside-down-world-audio-download/feed/ 0 FAMILY FAITH UNDER FIRE – Practical Answers to Everyday Challenges https://www.drray.com/shop/family-faith-under-fire-practical-answers-to-everyday-challenges/ https://www.drray.com/shop/family-faith-under-fire-practical-answers-to-everyday-challenges/#respond Sat, 28 Sep 2024 04:25:45 +0000 https://www.drray.com/?post_type=product&p=10135 How to fortify your faith...
without losing your mind

In our toxic culture, it increasingly seems as if raising children in the Faith is a losing battle. Perhaps your spouse wishes you were more “fun” than religious, or your peers challenge you in your beliefs. Concerns related to faith can become touchy topics for today’s believers, especially when questions arise regarding your views on family life or your approach to raising children.

The post FAMILY FAITH UNDER FIRE – Practical Answers to Everyday Challenges appeared first on Dr. Ray.

]]> How to fortify your faith…
without losing your mind

In our toxic culture, it increasingly seems as if raising children in the Faith is a losing battle. Perhaps your spouse wishes you were more “fun” than religious, or your peers challenge you in your beliefs. Concerns related to faith can become touchy topics for today’s believers, especially when questions arise regarding your views on family life or your approach to raising children.

With his rare voice of reason and characteristic humor, popular television and radio host Dr. Ray Guarendi provides you with sound practical and spiritual wisdom and expertise as a clinical psychologist and father of ten. In these engaging pages, Dr. Ray addresses numerous issues, such as:

  • How can I live my faith better, especially with those closest to me?
  • What to do when children ask: Why do we have to go to church when Dad doesn’t?
  • Should adolescents be required to go to Mass if they don’t want to?
  • What should I do when my adult children aren’t living the Faith?

Dr. Ray lays out ways in which parents can witness to their beliefs, even in broken marriages. He explains how to respond when your children’s faith is threatened at school or by peers who don’t share your beliefs or mindset.

Let Dr. Ray show you how to effectively live your faith and share it convincingly and peacefully with those you love.
Paperback. 163 pages.

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]]> https://www.drray.com/shop/family-faith-under-fire-practical-answers-to-everyday-challenges/feed/ 0 STANDING STRONG – Good Discipline Makes Great Teens https://www.drray.com/shop/standing-strong-good-discipline-makes-great-teens/ https://www.drray.com/shop/standing-strong-good-discipline-makes-great-teens/#respond Fri, 05 Jan 2024 22:18:11 +0000 https://www.drray.com/?post_type=product&p=9508 With wit and wisdom, Dr. Ray Guarendi gives parents the tools they need not only to navigate the teen years but also to enjoy them. Teens are “full of life, enthusiasm, energy, and laughter,” Dr. Ray asserts, in defiance of a culture that conditions us to expect a far gloomier reality. Too often, the world tells parents to be content with mediocrity instead of the prospect of raising respectful and responsible children with strong character.

In a lively question-and-answer format, Dr. Ray unpacks issues ranging from sibling relationships and peer pressure to curfews and chores to overcoming backtalk and teaching your kids to avoid drugs.

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]]> With wit and wisdom, Dr. Ray Guarendi gives parents the tools they need not only to navigate the teen years but also to enjoy them. Teens are “full of life, enthusiasm, energy, and laughter,” Dr. Ray asserts, in defiance of a culture that conditions us to expect a far gloomier reality. Too often, the world tells parents to be content with mediocrity instead of the prospect of raising respectful and responsible children with strong character.

In a lively question-and-answer format, Dr. Ray unpacks issues ranging from sibling relationships and peer pressure to curfews and chores to overcoming backtalk and teaching your kids to avoid drugs. He equips parents to give their teens a safer, more stable adolescence and help them develop virtues for a lifetime with practical approaches such as:

  • Three techniques for becoming a calmer parent
  • Five ways to monitor your child’s use of technology
  • Four simple house rules that lead to success
  • A strategy to motivate underachievers

You will also learn key sayings for communicating more effectively with your teens. In addition, you will find out specific ways to cultivate an attitude of gratitude in your kids. Most significantly, you will learn how to help your children treat you with respect, a habit they will then develop in their relationships with others as well. As you grow in becoming a stronger parent with calm, loving resolve, you will learn how to foster quality time with your teens and have real fun together.

This book is wise, perceptive, and laugh-out-loud funny. Dr. Ray uses his trademark humor-with-a-dash-of-sarcasm to give those parents who are barely treading water some good, sound, logical advice to change the tone and tenor of their households for the better.
Paperback. 225 pages.

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]]> https://www.drray.com/shop/standing-strong-good-discipline-makes-great-teens/feed/ 0 Raising Upright Kids in an Upside-Down World https://www.drray.com/shop/raising-upright-kids-in-an-upside-down-world/ https://www.drray.com/shop/raising-upright-kids-in-an-upside-down-world/#respond Fri, 20 Dec 2019 21:24:00 +0000 https://www.drray.com/?post_type=product&p=5331 From raunchy television shows to immoral peers, the barriers to raising moral and mature children are higher and more treacherous than ever. In Raising Upright Kids in an Upside-Down World, acclaimed Catholic psychologist Dr. Ray Guarendi offers parents a roadmap through this difficult and sometimes frightening terrain.

Dr. Ray brings to bear his decades of clinical experience—and his experience as a father of ten—with some of the hardest questions of modern parenting:

  • How do you manage kids’ access to pop culture—and to the corporations who all want a piece of their allowance?
  • How do you respond to others, including your own family, who don’t approve of your countercultural parenting?
  • How do you handle the overabundance of stuff—toys, clothes, technology—that clogs up your family’s everyday life?
  • When do you give (or take away) a smartphone?
  • How much freedom do you give your kids to choose their own friends—and when do you step in when they make wrong choices?
  • What are the habits of mind you need to form in them so they can stand strong against a morally and spiritually corrosive culture?

Raising Upright Kids in an Upside-Down World is a clarion call for strong, confident parenting in confusing times. More importantly, Dr. Ray gives you the resources to grow in that confidence: the knowledge of an expert, the insight of an experienced clinician, and the wisdom of decades of fatherhood. This is a book for parents who aim to form children who value the things of God, no matter the work and the effort. Dr. Ray is here to tell you: it’s worth it.

The post Raising Upright Kids in an Upside-Down World appeared first on Dr. Ray.

]]> From raunchy television shows to immoral peers, the barriers to raising moral and mature children are higher and more treacherous than ever. In Raising Upright Kids in an Upside-Down World, acclaimed Catholic psychologist Dr. Ray Guarendi offers parents a roadmap through this difficult and sometimes frightening terrain.

Dr. Ray brings to bear his decades of clinical experience—and his experience as a father of ten—with some of the hardest questions of modern parenting:

  • How do you manage kids’ access to pop culture—and to the corporations who all want a piece of their allowance?
  • How do you respond to others, including your own family, who don’t approve of your countercultural parenting?
  • How do you handle the overabundance of stuff—toys, clothes, technology—that clogs up your family’s everyday life?
  • When do you give (or take away) a smartphone?
  • How much freedom do you give your kids to choose their own friends—and when do you step in when they make wrong choices?
  • What are the habits of mind you need to form in them so they can stand strong against a morally and spiritually corrosive culture?

Raising Upright Kids in an Upside-Down World is a clarion call for strong, confident parenting in confusing times. More importantly, Dr. Ray gives you the resources to grow in that confidence: the knowledge of an expert, the insight of an experienced clinician, and the wisdom of decades of fatherhood. This is a book for parents who aim to form children who value the things of God, no matter the work and the effort. Dr. Ray is here to tell you: it’s worth it.

The post Raising Upright Kids in an Upside-Down World appeared first on Dr. Ray.

]]> https://www.drray.com/shop/raising-upright-kids-in-an-upside-down-world/feed/ 0