Parenting is one of the most important tasks an adult will tackle. It is also one of the most difficult, and one for which few individuals receive education. Increasing concerns about child abuse and neglect reflect the desire to reduce the worst outcomes of parenting and improve the chances for children to flourish. Considering that context, "positive parenting" sounds inviting; it implies that parents can tackle parenting challenges and succeed. So what is positive parenting? Hyman (1997) stated that "Many parents have taken courses in positive parenting and have learned alternative methods of discipline" (p. xi). Using a similar implied definition, Pitzer and colleagues (n.d) created "Positive Parenting" and related resources with the goals of helping parents learn about the consequences of using physical discipline with children, teaching them alternative forms of guidance, and changing parents' attitudes about hitting their children. Ferrer (1999) created a series of publications entitled "Success and the Single Parent: Positive Parenting." She focused on issues such as managing stress and understanding children's development in order to use "kind and firm" discipline and guidance techniques. These varied definitions seem to reflect as many differences as similarities among programs and publications that use the term "positive parenting." To make sense of the confusion, the author of this article identifies categories of available resources and publications.