When Allison Alison set out to interview parents of successful students, she didn't do so for the purpose of writing a book.

A former attorney in California child abuse courts and a guardian ad litem in the Virginia courts, Alison now teaches social science at Stone Bridge High School. Through her various careers, Alison has seen both extremes in terms of child behavior. After working with high-performing students through her teaching job, she wanted to evaluate what their parents did to help them thrive.

“Kids don't come with instructions,” Alison said. “We just have kids and are expected to know what to do.”

Alison was impressed with many of the parents' comments -and how some of it she had simply never heard before.

So the mother of three began tallying up the advice parents gave the most. It quickly transitioned into writing.

“The writing part was easy,” Alison said. “I have summers off, so I took a few months and wrote.”

Alison found a lot of support amongst her friends and coworkers. An English teacher at Stone Bridge edited her work.

From there, Alison came in contact with Balboa Publishing. After reviewing her manuscript, Balboa agreed to allow her to self-publish under their brand.
Alison said parents have been very receptive to her book.

“They see this is a need,” Alison said. Even her students have been supportive, Alison noted, saying several have solicited her autograph this year.

Now, Alison is turning her attention to starting a blog as another medium to advise parents.

“I feel like it can be a revolution,” Alison said of improving parenting. “If we help parents, the kids will be better.”

Whether it's teaching, writing or working in the law, Alison said she's always felt pulled toward kids.

“I've always loved being around young people,” Alison said. “Whether it's in the courtroom or the classroom, I love teenagers.”

This love has made the transitions from law to teaching to author nearly seamless.

“My fight for kids has always been my life purpose,” Alison said. “All of us can help our kids be better.”