Child welfare and adoption specialist Lindsay Garrett, LCSW, teaches Millennials considering having kids how to emotionally prepare for parenthood, determine their parenting style and values, and establish sustainable support.

In your prime child-rearing years and mulling the question Am I ready to have a baby? Millennials contemplating kids can now turn to Parent Goals, a guide to emotional preparedness for parenthood. Child welfare and adoption specialist Lindsay Garrett leverages her professional expertise and experience as a new parent to lead readers through the mental prep work needed before embarking on this important life choice.

Parent Goals is the book to turn to before you make the decision to become a parent. Unlike other books on the topic that focus on pregnancy and kids’ life stages, Parent Goals outlines the most important—and least explained—aspects of having children, including emotional readiness, attachment theory, and determining your values as a parent.

In addition to offering advice and guidance, Parent Goals is the first book to address the emergence of the co-parenting style popular with Millennials, which involves a more equitable division of labor than we have seen in previous generations. Garrett’s down-to-earth and sometimes cheeky writing style makes Parent Goals an accessible and engaging read for the Millennial generation.

"In your prime child-rearing years and mulling the question Am I ready to have a baby? Millennials contemplating kids can now turn to Parent Goals, a guide to emotional preparedness for parenthood. Child welfare and adoption specialist Lindsay Garrett leverages her professional expertise and experience as a new parent to lead readers through the mental prep work needed before embarking on this important life choice. Parent Goals is the book to turn to before you make the decision to become a parent. Unlike other books on the topic that focus on pregnancy and kids' life stages, Parent Goals outlines the most important--and least explained--aspects of having children, including emotional readiness, attachment theory, and determining your values as a parent. In addition to offering advice and guidance, Parent Goals is the first book to address the emergence of the co-parenting style popular with Millennials, which involves a more equitable division of labor than we have seen in previous generations. Garrett's down-to-earth and sometimes cheeky writing style makes Parent Goals an accessible and engaging read for the Millennial generation."--Provided by publisher.

“Garrett rejects the standard of mothers as ‘default parents’ and writes to parents as a team, offering no shortage of practical advice. New parents will find this [book] worth returning to.”

—Publishers Weekly

“If you’re considering parenthood, but you’re not sure what questions you should be asking, how you should emotionally prepare, or what to do to set yourself up for success, this is the book for you. Garrett’s advice is smart, thoughtful, and incredibly useful.”

—Melinda Wenner Moyer, contributing editor, Scientific American, and author of How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes

“One of the most challenging parts of parenting is dealing with the unknown. Parent Goals helps demystify those early days and offers parents concrete advice as they prepare for their new roles. By sharing her own experiences and expertise, Garrett helps parents be thoughtful and purposeful in their parenting decisions.”

—Dr. Christia Spears Brown, author of Parenting Beyond Pink & Blue and Unraveling Bias

“If you’re looking for your baby’s user manual… well, that doesn’t exist but Parent Goals comes pretty close. Garrett mixes her own story as a mom with her journey as a parenting mental health specialist, and then adds in nuggets of goodness from all the parents she interviewed. Parent Goals is a real honest look at preparing for a baby mixed with optimism and humor.”

—Robyn Gobbel, therapist and parent educator

“Parent Goals is the right combination of evidence-based parenting reality, humor, and tangible instruction. This guide provides a clear road map for new parents to ‘all the things I wish I had known.’”

—Mark Melson, president of the Gladney Center for Adoption

“This is the book I wish I had read a decade ago. There are countless practical and emotional aspects of parenting I had no idea would impact our lives so dramatically, and Parent Goals gives a framework for parents to talk them through before children enter the scene.”

—Elizabeth Baker, editor of Houston Moms blog