Coffee & Conversations With an Author - Dana Bachar Grossman - Tuesday, 24 September @ 8:45am

Our Coffee & Coffee With An Author events were a huge success last year. Not only did they opened up the Senior School Library to the parent community but we had so many fascinating authors come and talk to us about their writing journey.

A number of them have come from our parent body and we have really enjoyed celebrating their success and marveling at the talent that surrounds us here at DCSG.

We are excited about our first author for this year - Dana Bachar Grossman. Dana, the mother of 4 boys, is a Dulwich parent and will be the first cab off the rank in the 2091-20 Coffee & Conversations With An Author.

Join us in the Senior School Library's Oval Room on Level 2 on Tuesday 24 September to listen to Dana talk about her book. Share a coffee/tea, pastries and a chat with Dana and other Dulwich parents.

Dana's recently published book, Fight or Flight?: The survival guide for flying with is one that you might want to buy before her talk. In fact, you might want to buy it very soon, if (as I am sure most of you are) you will be flying with your children over the summer break! The book does exactly what it says on the tin!

Available on Amazon for only $3.01 Kindle version or the paperback version for $19.97, this book is very entertaining and highly informative.

Top 10 Tips for Flying with Kids

Dana Bachar Grossman is a bestselling author, a public speaker and an expat mom of four boys who has traveled to five continents, 49 countries and has lived in Singapore for the last nine years. She is constantly on the move either enriching her experience as an avid traveler or chauffeuring her boys endlessly from place-to-place as “Mama Uber”.

Dana, an international mediator, and a negotiation has been blessed with an innate ability to see things as a “matter-of-fact” while bringing a fresh, optimistic solution to any situation. She is a proponent of open communication and empathy and has been guiding families for over 25 years to use these tools to resolve even the most critical disputes.

Dana founded “MeD8” and “Reaching Hearts- Giving Back” with a mission to motivate people to be effective- empathetic communicators which, in turn, has contributed to our community’s greater good.

In her spare time, she loves to do stand up comedy with the goal of not only raising funds for various charities she is a part but also inspiring others to be their best self through the use of language we all understand - laughter.

By purchasing this book, you are part of a bigger global cause! 10% of this book’s profits are donated to support less fortunate children, providing them with their basic needs of shelter, food education.

Learn more about DANA'S work at www.danastipsforparents.com 

IN PRAISE OF THE BOOK:

“It is one of the most inspiring books I have ever read. Absolutely helpful for families on air with young kids. A Must read!” ~ Levend Arisoy, TURKISH Airlines General Manager Singapore

"Fight or flight? is a super helpful and fun guide to flying with kids more enjoyable and survivable. Every expat, frequent family new Mum needs a copy. A great insight into what can go wrong and how to avoid it, packed full of stories and helpful tips. I wish I had a copy when I first started flying with kids rather than learning the hard way. " ~ Chris Edwards, Founder of Honeycombers & HoneyKids Asia, and mum of 3 little frequent travelers.

“Be prepared to take a slightly paradoxical journey as you read Fight or The Survival Guide for Flying with Kids. In this first-of-its-kind book, Dana Bachar Grossman, tells it like it is when it comes to traveling with children of all ages in tow. One moment, you will laugh as she regales you with the unexpected humor used to describe the various complicated—and complicating—situations she has experienced while shepherding her four children around the world. The next moment, you will groan as her words bring flashbacks of when you had a similar experience. You remember nothing about it seemed fun - or funny - the moment it happened! One great gift of Fight or Flight is the clear, practical, concrete instructions for how parents can improve the journey for all involved—including fellow passengers who never asked to sit in their vicinity! It’s quite clear that Dana has developed such comprehensive wisdom through many successes and challenges with her own children. How great that she now shares these insights with the rest of us. By organizing the supplies and strategies needed into checklists for different ages, Dana has made it easy for parents to quickly see what they need to acquire or do as they prepare for the journey. How satisfying to then tick things off the list and see the progress being made! In the end, these lists also make it much less likely parents will forget that vital something too often overlooked at the last minute.Another gift of this book is that it goes beyond just the practical advice. Through honesty and humor, Dana has helped normalize the fact that we all have such moments of frustration or embarrassment when traveling with kids, even if we try to act otherwise. By example, she gives us not only to acknowledge that traveling with kids isn’t always easy, but also that there are many things we can do to help. In the end, as you use the advice Dana offers in these next pages, may you discover that getting there truly is half the fun!” ~ Ruth E. Van Reken, co-author, Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds, 3rd ed., Co-founder, Families in Global Transition

“Our world is shrinking as the travel industry is expanding. Low fares, standard of living and an increase in World gross domestic production have all contributed to an increase in people choosing air travel as their preferred means of transport. Be it for work or leisure, chances are you will be traveling by air more often today than ever. Whether you are a business professional or a solo - you are never really traveling alone. Your co-passengers are really your travel partners for your entire journey. You might have to share space with a family of kids or you might be a parent yourself sitting next to a celebrity trying to pacify your uncontrollable child. Whatever the scenario, our goal is always to enjoy our journey amidst all the chaos. That is where this book Fight or Flight? The Survival Guide for Flying with Kids comes to you as your guide, as a life saver. The Author, Dana Bachar Grossman, has poured out her years of experience as a mom, an expat and an avid in her book. She uses her innate humor to cover some serious travel issues while giving practical tips that are applicable to all travelers.  Fight or flight? the Survival Guide for Flying with Kids will make your air travel a breeze- whether you are traveling without or with kids. The book is funny, has beautiful and relatable illustrations, is a quick read and your perfect travel bible. A must-grab if you travel or plan on traveling by air ever.” ~ Parul Agrawal, Author, Speaker, Forbes Coaches Council Member, Bestseller Book Launch Expert,

“I had three children, three years old and under (including an eight-week-old baby when my husband and I relocated from Australia to the USA in October 2001. It was less than a month after 9/11 and flight schedules were still in disarray. So what should have been a long 24-hour, one-stopover trip was an even longer 34-hour, three-stopovers endurance marathon. It was also the first of dozens of long-haul flights we did – as a couple or alone - with our young family which grew by one the year after moving to the US. Needless to say, there were quite a few of them that felt like ultra-marathons. I vividly recall arriving in Melbourne after one such trip from across the globe, this time with four children, five and under, and bursting into tears as I emerged from baggage collection and handed over a crying nine-month-old to my mother-in-law. We had made it. I had survived… and somehow I had managed not to murder any of my precious children in the process. Unlike Dana, I never did manage to write down all of my hard-earned wisdom, tips tricks for stress, stamina and avoiding the many pitfalls that parents can easily fall into when with children. Which is why I’m so delighted that she has done just that. And so as you read this book, I hope it will not only equip you to enjoy with your children more (and experience less of those exasperated moments but that it will actually encourage you to travel with them more. As my children start to spread their wings to pursue their own adventures in life, I am very present to how fast the years with young children pass by. Sure, some days can feel long and some flights endless, but those flights will take you to places and to people that will enrich your lives and strengthen your ties. So don’t let of what may lay in store mid-flight keep you from booking your next trip. Some of the funniest stories my kids laugh about now were from our holidays together… most of which required boarding a plane!” ~ Margie Warrell, Forbes Columnist, Bestselling Author & Mother of Four Rowdy Kids

“Dana has a real gift for sharing any story with - with young children can be incredibly stressful, Dana, in the spirit of giving, has chosen to package her personal experience through a combination of hilarious stories, useful tips and a sprinkle of reality thrown in for good measure. As someone who has spent close to 30 years regularly the world with young children, firstly as a professional nanny and more recently with my own twins (!), I can’t recommend this book highly enough- her advice is invaluable.” ~ Shona Sanosi, Founder of Blue House International Preschool

Other publications:

Click here for pre-flight survival tips for flying with toddlers published in the  Bangkok expat magazine  called Bambi.