Raising Calm Kids in a World of Worry: Tools to Ease Anxiety and Overwhelm

by Ashley Graber, Maria Evans

The hands-on guide every parent needs to help their child conquer anxiety, fear, and overwhelm

AN OPEN FIELD PUBLICATION FROM MARIA SHRIVER

Kids today are more anxious than ever—and they have every right to be! But as a parent, it can be hard to watch your child struggle. Thankfully, there’s a lot you can do to help. Raising Calm Kids in a World of Worry introduces clinically informed, easy-to-implement strategies to help your child overcome their biggest worries and develop into joyful, emotionally resilient humans. 

After working with thousands of parents and children struggling with anxiety, psychotherapist and parent coach team Ashley Graber and Maria Evans identified five key practices that consistently reduce worry—both in the moment and over the long run. Together, these form the basis of SAFER Set the Tone, Accept Feelings to Guide Behaviors, Form Identity, Engage Like a Pro, and Role Model. Walking readers through each practice, Graber and Evans reveal what parents are missing when it comes to spotting their child’s signs of anxiety, and show how you can use your own sense of calm  
Manage big feelings and guide your child toward productive coping tools Have difficult and emotionally-charged conversations without losing your cool Learn to foster open conversation through therapist-approved techniques Nurture your child's confidence and independence Create psychological safety in the home to increase calm and lower anxiety 
Meeting parents where they are, Raising Calm Kids In a World of Worry shows how despite having plenty of reasons to worry, your child can find their safe harbor in you.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

Published February 11, 2025

About the author

LMFT

Reviews

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I reparent myself and stay alert to ways to be helpful as a grandparent, these kinds of books are useful. This one had a reminder I particularly love: “safe framing” versus “scary framing.” In a world where so many terrible things can and do happen, this felt like a crucial reminder about how we can inadvertently terrify our kids (and ourselves).

[Darriane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read and some much work for me to use for myself and my kids I recommend it!

[Patricia A · Rating 5 out of 5]

A insightful book. I will pass the book on to my daughter who has toddlers currently but she will gain a lot of useful information. I know having read it, it can help me be a better grandparent as my grandchildren age into their teens and you g adulthood. Thank you for these wonderful tools.

[Sami Azhari · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a parent of two young children, I have come to understand that much of parenting involves learning as you go and hoping not to make mistakes. When I seek advice, I turn to friends and family for their insights and strategies on raising children. However, like many others, I often find myself exploring the depths of the internet. While online resources can be beneficial for various topics, it is frequently challenging to distinguish between sound advice and poor guidance. With individuals posing as "experts," there is an increasing amount of misinformation to filter through.

This is where Ashley Graber and Maria Evans come in, two Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists who offer a straightforward roadmap for parents of young children. They not only present this roadmap but also share real-life examples and tangible results from their methods, along with specific steps for implementation.

This is essential reading for any parent navigating the complex landscape of parenthood.

[Rebekka Helford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so delighted by this wonderful book's accessibility, succinctness, and heart. It offers a refreshing antidote to some of other popular books about children’s anxiety, one that offers hope and immediately applicable skills, insights, and tips. "Raising Calm Kids" is equal parts insightful and practical, and manages to be both comprehensive and a manageable length for busy parents. As a marriage and family therapist who specializes in working with parents of young children, I was surprised to learn new things that I could apply to my work, as well as to my family life in raising my own children. Bravo, Ashley and Maria!

[Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book enough. It wasn't honestly anything ground breaking for me personally, a lot of reminders of what I am already trying to do while raising my kids. But, I do think it offers some good advice/ideas. As a millennial, I think the most *challenging* part of all of this, is undoing anxiety from my own childhood, while simultaneously creating a safe and confident places for my kids to grow up.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great read. As someone who frequently listens to similar subject matter this was not ground breaking but lots of great reminders. However if you are new to parenting books definitely worth listening to!

[Cindy Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read and understand. Would be very helpful for parents with children of all ages.

[Patrick Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book when thinking about parenting strategies. Glad I read it.

[Kaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The books teaches basic, but helpful, principles of helping kids with worry. It’s a good reminder for parents - so much of how we act and respond to situations gets absorbed by our children.