Melinda Wenner Moyer is a journalist who covers parenting, science and medicine.
She is the author of How To Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes.

Melinda Wenner Moyer is a journalist who covers parenting, science and medicine.
She is the author of How To Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes.
How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes
Science-based Strategies for Better Parenting—From Tots to Teens
“Amid Trump, #MeToo and rising hate crime, science writer Melinda Wenner Moyer decided it was time to learn how to stop her kids becoming ‘assholes’. Her research became an unusual, much-needed parenting book.”
— The Guardian
How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes, which has been translated into 12 other languages, is a deeply researched evidence-based primer that provides a fresh and often surprising perspective on parenting issues. It’s a clear, actionable, sometimes humorous (but always science-based) guide for parents on how to shape their kids into honest, kind, generous, confident, independent, and resilient people. . . who just might save the world one day.
Read excerpts of the book in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Parents magazine.
“It’s one thing to say you don’t want your kid to be an asshole. This book gives you data-driven, research-based tools to actually achieve it.”
– Emily Oster, PhD, author of Cribsheet and Expecting Better
“A smart, engaging, honest, and surprisingly useful read about how to nurture decency and generosity.”
– Adam Grant, author of Think Again
“Wenner Moyer crafts a winning guide for parents who wish to build a ‘better, fairer, stronger world.’ This delightful mix of strategy and humor shouldn’t be missed.”
– Publisher’s Weekly, Starred review
Featured Articles
THE NEW YORK TIMES

How To Raise Kids Who Won’t Be Racist
Open conversations about race and racism can make white children less prejudiced and can increase the self-esteem of children of color. Read more…
NATURE MAGAZINE

How is the pandemic affecting kids’ brains? Child development researchers are asking whether the pandemic is shaping kids’ brains and behavior. Read more…
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

School kids are falling victim to disinformation and conspiracy fantasies. Although children are prime targets, educators cannot figure out how best to teach them to separate fact from fiction. Read more…
THE NEW YORK TIMES

Lean Into Negative Emotions. It’s the Healthy Thing to Do
Recent research suggests that while bad feelings can affect your well-being, your perspective on those feelings can play an even bigger role in your mental health. Read more…
Upcoming Events
THE WRITERS’ CO-OP
THURS, JUNE 8, 2023 / 4:30PM EST
Build and Monetize Your Own Newsletter with The Writers’ Co-op
When freelance rates have gone stagnant, and some publishers are closing altogether, stability as a freelance journalist may feel more precarious than ever.
Many are creating their own lifeboats by producing – and monetizing! – newsletters and building their own audiences. But for those of us who are newsletter-curious, how exactly do you get started? How do you take things that you’re interested in, and build a following?
In this one-hour webinar, The Writers’ Co-op will be joined by two freelance journalists, Chris La Tray and Melinda Wenner Moyer, who will share their wisdom in producing their newsletters. They’ve both built their newsletter audience (without the benefit of a staff job!) and monetized them. They will dig into the nitty gritty of how to find their target audience, and the ins and outs of treating their newsletter as a business.
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF JOURNALISTS AND AUTHORS
THURS, JUNE 15, 2023 / 5:15PM EST
Using Substack to Build Success as an Author
Book marketing begins with the launch of your book but it doesn’t end there—far from it. Building an audience post-publication is a great way to build buzz for your next book and continue to sell long after pub date. Moyer has succeeded in turning Substack into a lead magnet for readers and also an income stream, but that’s just one way authors can make money and create community over time.
Contact Melinda if you’re interested in booking her for an event or media appearance.
Melinda on Instagram
Melinda on Twitter
So excited to see my Substack mentioned in this fantastic @romper piece by @thewheeler1 on managing kid text anxiety: romper.com/parenting/stan…