Michelle Kennedy had a typical middle class American childhood in Vermont. She attended college, interned in the U.S. Senate, married her high school sweetheart and settled in the suburbs of D.C. But the comfortable life she was building quickly fell apart. At age twenty-four Michelle was suddenly single, homeless, and living out of a car with her three small children. She waitressed night shifts while her kids slept out in the diner's parking lot. She saved her tips in the glove compartment, and set aside a few quarters every week for truck stop showers for her and the kids.
With startling humor and honesty, Kennedy describes the frustration of never having enough money for a security deposit on an apartment—but having too much to qualify for public assistance. Without A Net is a story of hope. Michelle Kennedy survives on her wits, a little luck, and a lot of courage. And in the end, she triumphs.

Without a Net: Middle Class and Homeless (with Kids) in America

Biographies & Memoirs

Kennedy, Michelle

Community & Culture

Penguin??Books

A Pushcart Prize-winning writer for Brain, Child magazine and other prestigious periodicals describes how at the age of twenty-four, newly divorced and raising three children alone, she was rendered homeless and overcame difficult odds in order to safeguard her family's survival. 25,000 first printing.

Without a Net: Middle Class and Homeless (with Kids) in America: My Story

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Viking Adult

When babies cry, frustrated parents often tell each other: “If only our angel could talk!” In fact, baby is talking, and clever parents can decipher the language. For babies who consider diaper time a pain in the butt, this book’s tips can smooth away the tears. Here too are suggestions for dealing with colic, teething, and many of baby’s other irritations. Moms and dads sometimes find their kids resisting the recommendations and strategies proposed by childcare specialists. That’s when it’s time to turn to Last Straw Strategies, a series of lighthearted books filled with practical, old-fashioned wisdom that has passed down through the ages. A longtime journalist and an experienced mom, Michelle Kennedy offers pragmatic solutions instead of fashionable psychological theory. Her user-friendly books contain sound suggestions for relieving three of the most common frustrations suffered by new parents: crying, eating problems, and sleeping problems. Her attitude—infused with wit, energy, and compassion—is perfectly complemented by humorous two-color line illustrations that appear with most of her examples. Parents might want to laugh at some of the proposed solutions, but their laughs will become delighted smiles when they discover that the solutions really work!

Crying (Last Straw Strategies)

Health, Fitness & Dieting

B E S Pub Co

Kids who refuse dinner never starve. Sometimes they don’t want the chicken on their plate because they’ve just eaten two peanut butter sandwiches. The author discusses between-meal snacks and gives ideas for painless weaning, introducing kids to solid foods, helping to change the attitude of picky eaters, and more. Moms and dads sometimes find their kids resisting the recommendations and strategies proposed by childcare specialists. That’s when it’s time to turn to Last Straw Strategies, a series of lighthearted books filled with practical, old-fashioned wisdom that has passed down through the ages. A longtime journalist and an experienced mom, Michelle Kennedy offers pragmatic solutions instead of fashionable psychological theory. Her user-friendly books contain sound suggestions for relieving three of the most common frustrations suffered by new parents: crying, eating problems, and sleeping problems. Her attitude—infused with wit, energy, and compassion—is perfectly complemented by humorous two-color line illustrations that appear with most of her examples. Parents might want to laugh at some of the proposed solutions, but their laughs will become delighted smiles when they discover that the solutions really work!

Eating (Last Straw Strategies)

Understanding a baby’s sleep habits will help parents catch up on much-needed sleep of their own. Then, when baby becomes a toddler, he or she often puts up an argument at bedtime. Here are scores of suggestions to help parents cope with kids’ sleep problems, whether dealing with newborns or pre-schoolers. Moms and dads sometimes find their kids resisting the recommendations and strategies proposed by childcare specialists. That’s when it’s time to turn to Last Straw Strategies, a series of lighthearted books filled with practical, old-fashioned wisdom that has passed down through the ages. A longtime journalist and an experienced mom, Michelle Kennedy offers pragmatic solutions instead of fashionable psychological theory. Her user-friendly books contain sound suggestions for relieving three of the most common frustrations suffered by new parents: crying, eating problems, and sleeping problems. Her attitude—infused with wit, energy, and compassion—is perfectly complemented by humorous two-color line illustrations that appear with most of her examples. Parents might want to laugh at some of the proposed solutions, but their laughs will become delighted smiles when they discover that the solutions really work!

Sleeping (Last Straw Strategies)

Barrons Educational Series. Inc.

Nothing is worse than dragging a screaming child through a grocery store. The author’s tantrum-ending tips run the gamut from an “I’m in charge” attitude to offering the yelling kid “some cheese with your whine.” A tantrum at home will usually end when Mom does something silly—like putting on her favorite dance track and showing the toddler her favorite moves. Here’s advice that nearly always works! Moms and dads sometimes find their kids resisting the recommendations and strategies proposed by childcare specialists. That’s when it’s time to turn to Last Straw Strategies, a series of lighthearted books filled with practical, old-fashioned wisdom that has passed down through the ages. A longtime journalist and an experienced mom, Michelle Kennedy offers pragmatic solutions instead of fashionable psychological theory. Her user-friendly books contain sound suggestions for relieving three of the most common frustrations suffered by new parents: crying, eating problems, and sleeping problems. Her attitude—infused with wit, energy, and compassion—is perfectly complemented by humorous two-color line illustrations that appear with most of her examples. Parents might want to laugh at some of the proposed solutions, but their laughs will become delighted smiles when they discover that the solutions really work!

Tantrums (Last Straw Strategies)

Here is a healthy perspective on that most challenging child-raising problem: toilet training. Author Michelle Kennedy advises parents to ask themselves: What's the big hurry? But when that time finally does arrive, she suggests a commonsense training procedure that will work when it's combined with patience and good humor. The book also deals with questions such as to bribe or not to bribe, getting Dad to help boys achieve good aim, coping with occasional accidents, and bed-wetting. Underlying all questions, the author advises: Don't push, and toilet training will come naturally.

Staying Dry: 99 Tips to Bring You Back from the End of Your Rope (Last Straw Strategies)

Parenting & Relationships

Parenting

Every baby starts life believing that he or she is the center of the universe, so feelings of jealousy are inevitable as toddlers begin to face the real world. Here are practical ways to deal with a child's jealousy when a new baby comes into the house. Here too is advice to parents on how to resolve conflicts among kids who don't want to share toys or who demand too much attention. There is also advice on dealing with sibling rivalry, coping at daycare centers, and much more.

Jealousy: 99 Tips to Bring You Back from the End of Your Rope (Last Straw Strategies)

Many perfectly normal toddlers can't let go of security blankets, pacifiers, and other little objects that take on mysterious significance for them. This book offers an approach parents can use to help kids get past things they don't need any more. Author Michelle Kennedy asserts that the best way to help kids become independent of that smelly old blanket is to start early in giving them small doses of autonomy. Kids love the idea of freedom, and it expands to encompass all their habits. As long as the degree of freedom is appropriate to age, circumstance, and safety, both parents and kids will do just fine.

Letting Go: Giving Up Those Bottles, Blankies, Pacifiers and So on (Last Straw Strategies)

Here are practical suggestions for instilling manners in pre-schoolers. Many child experts testify that parents can start teaching manners from eighteen months, and this book presents 99 tips the author has successfully used with her own kids to instill the basics of good behavior. Among the subjects covered are teaching children to share, dealing with outbursts of anger, and coping with fighting problems that escalate into hair-pulling, hitting, and using foul language.

Manners: 99 Tips to Bring You Back from the End of Your Rope (Last Straw Strategies: Children's Behavior)

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Books by Kennedy, Michelle