Parenting Articles

Grandchildren know how to get what they want -- they nag. Here's what grandparents can do to gain control over the nagging and teach valuable lessons about money. The Center for a New American Dream published a survey about kids and nagging. The poll found the typical child aged 12 to 17 asked ...

I will approach this article from different perspectives as below: a) Helping people who do not want to be helped rnb) Helping people from the professionals own misdirected objectives rnc) Abandoning help for people too soon a) There are many young people who need our help for a variety of reasons to assist them in moving forwards with their lives, which includes young people who self harm. They may approach you for help but on the face of it, it appears that they really don't want our help, which poses a dichotomy for helping professionals. What do you do in that situation?

I get emails from single moms that are both uplifting and encouraging. Some emails are filled with pain and a sense of hopelessness. Many are searching for a way out of depression and emotional barriers. Here is one letter and my answer. From M: “One questio I would like to ask, and you ...

The relationship between single moms and money is turbulent. Her struggle to get more to take care of her family seems endless and the more she tries it seems the more illusive it becomes. But a bigger issue with money is how to manage what she has and discover new ways to get a little (or lot) ...

ADHD children struggle to pay attention, control their behavior and organize themselves. At school, activities that are simple for most kids like sitting still in the circle or finishing the worksheet are a real challenge for ADHD children. At home, family dinners are not peaceful and getting ready on time in the morning is frustratingly complicated.

IN THIS SEASON OF GIFT-BUYING, DON'T IGNORE THE MOST IMPORTANT GIFTS OF ALLnnIn this season of holiday gift buying, advertisers bombard us with messages, some of them contradictory. One ad tells us that the best way for men to show love is to spend three months' salary on a piece of diamond jewelry. On the other hand, MasterCard commercials remind us that there are some things ("Priceless" moments) that money can't buy.nn"Oh, that's a sweet sentiment," you might say, "but can

In January, we say to ourselves, “This is the year! I’m going to be on top of things and be organized.” But by June we not only wonder where the first half of 2007 went, we may once again find ourselves rummaging through the picked over remnants of graduation and Father’s Day cards, trying to ...

Forget your parents choosing your date. Forget going to a dance club to meet and get to know people. Forget hitting a bar to meet others. Enter Tinder.

Parents of children with Attention Deficit Disorder often find that the hours and money spent on tutoring does not significantly improve their children’s grades. This is because tutoring and remedial programs do not address the root of the issue.

Mother's Day is just around the corner. This is a time of family gatherings to celebrate mothers. Family traditions of cookouts, picnics and dining out are fairly common. It goes without saying; mothers play a very important role in our lives. Many articles and books have been written about this. There is a tremendous amount of research about being a mother. It has been dissected from every angle and from numerous counseling theories. Attachment theory says that Infants form attachments to any consistent caregiver who is sensitive and responsive in social interactions with them.

Did you marry to love, honor, and cherish your partner? Is conflict ruining your vows? If so, look inside for a powerful yet simple solution. Of course, you want a successful marriage. You want your partner to love, honor, and cherish you. You promised the same to your partner. What happened? When two people marry, conflict will occur. That’s normal. How that conflict is solved holds the key to your happiness.

Have you ever told your child that it's time to go somewhere or do something else and their response was either to ignore you or yell at you? There are ways to avoid this and make the transition from activity to activity easy and smooth. In order for your children to feel comfortable and cooperative moving from one activity to the next there are a few things you will need to do.

When looking for ways to simplify our family life we often run into titles like Get More Done and 100 Things To Do: To Simplify Your Life. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to be told I need to get more done or MORE things TO DO! What I desire is to do less, to me that is ...

When was the last time you were "in the zone"?nnWhen was the last time you experienced that hypnotic feeling of being so utterly concentrated that you lost track of the rest of the world? nnWhen was the last time you were completely task-oriented, enveloped in a self-induced trance, hypnotized by the joy of just doing something - of being entirely focused on a single task?nnIt takes a great deal of discipline, but it is possible to cultivate this awareness - this attention -

I can’t tell you the number of people, who when I tell them that I have teenagers, say things like “Wow that must be tough” or “Good luck you will need it”. I don’t care, I love having teenagers. I really do. I can still remember what my life was like as a teenager. I can remember when I was honest with my parents and when I was not. I can remember all of the things that I put my parents through. Believe me growing up in a family of five, where you came home when

My son was very motivated to purchase his own computer. He had saved up close to $1000 by the time he was 11 and purchased it. You better believe he was always asking for extra chores to do in order to make money the year and a bit that preceded that purchase. He was one motivated kid! Now that same kid who was highly motivated to work is sitting at said computer while a messy room surrounds him and homework is left to the last minute. If I allowed him to my boy would spend

Also known as a co-sleeper, the bedside crib attaches to the side of an adult bed. Resembling a standard crib with one of the side rails removed, the open side is placed next to the adult bed, with the bedside mattress and adult bed mattress at the same level. nnIt allows your baby to remain close to you at night without actually being in your bed. You can easily reach your baby during the night for breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, comforting and bonding, without disturbing the

Responsibility! How many times have you said to yourself, “I wish my child would be more RESPONSIBLE!???” As parents of “Rock Solid Kids,” we want our children to grow up to be responsible for themselves. This includes taking responsibility for their actions, commitments, outcomes, and ...

Each breastfeeding woman has to find her own routine with settings and positions that work best for her and the baby. Each woman experiences a unique experience while breastfeeding. It is not unusual for breastfeeding mothers to return to jobs outside of their homes after a baby is born. When a woman does return to work after a maternity leave, the breastfeeding routine will have to change. With the help of a breast pump, many mothers continue to breastfeed successfully.nnIf

Change…it seems to be the buzz word of 2008. Only having just stepped over the threshold of this New Year, we need only to pick up a newspaper or turn on the television to feel the swelling energy of change making its powerful presence known! Watching what was has been transpiring in the ...

No two of us are alike. We all have likes and dislikes, challenges and strengths. But we are similar in that we are social animals and we live in a social world. Some of us may thoroughly enjoy making social connections and others may view it as a chore or an intrusion into our world.

Baseball hard-hitter Harmon Killebrew tells a story that hints at the importance of fathers to boys: “My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard,” he says on his Web site. “Mother would come out and say, ‘You’re tearing up the grass.’ ‘We’re not raising grass,’ Dad would reply. ‘We’re raising boys.’”nnObviously, Killebrew’s father was tuned in to the needs of his sons, an admira

So Many Choices - What To Select? Look at all the alternatives! When it comes to baby gear, strollers are definitely found in a very big variety of shapes, size, options and benefits. When narrowing down your ideal baby stroller, first think about the sort of baby transportation you need. Maybe you have got in mind something to move baby and all that equipment along the lines of a traditional stroller. It may be wise that having more than one stroller might be your best bet.

Most of us when asked what we want our children to become, we include "responsible" among other things such as happy, fulfilled and caring. We want our children to learn to make wise choices, be responsible for their actions and live responsibly. n Do we teach children to become responsible ...

Any parent of older children knows - they aren’t getting enough sleep. Dragging your child out of bed in the morning is almost harder than getting them to do their homework or clean their room. Not only does this sleep deprivation make their mornings hard, it can have long term effects, too. Getting proper rest is vital for kids and teens, and parents need to know what’s causing this deficit. Phone Ownership The number of children who have phones has spiked dramatically i

Parents! You have decided to monitor your kid’s phone. They are not entirely the most enthusiastic about this, and they are wondering why you have decided to do this to them since their friends’ parents don’t do it. However, they are actually mistaken. Many stats from the Pew Research Center claim that phone monitoring is more prevalent than many think, and here is some tips of advice to tell them why you are monitoring them : Their friends' parents are monitoring them

Well, we’re all prepared and everyone is excited. In order to continue this bliss, there are 5 steps you will want to take to ensure that your kids do not fall down the slippery slope of sugar highs, tiredness and tantrums. Step 1: Have an easy, but healthy dinner prepared like soup and sandwiches along with raw veggies and dip. Eat earlier than usual to give yourselves more time to dress up and prepare for the evening. While eating, review how to call out “Trick or Treat” in a non-shouting voice and speak about Trick or Treating manners (ie.Thank you very much, etc.)

Apart from the fact that I am the mother of four, Mother’s Day holds an added significance for me thanks to a life-saving bicycle helmet. It was Mother's Day in 1992 and my husband was in the kitchen preparing his traditional Sunday dinner. The phone rang and a strange voice told us that our oldest son Clayton, aged 18 at the time (he's 30 now!!), was lying on someone's front lawn about five blocks from our house. We drove like crazy, as any parent would when presented with s

The phone call came when Kate (the names have been changed) was about to walk into an important meeting. She was totally unprepared for the venomous hysterics from her neighbor, Fran Smith. Fran claimed that Kate’s eleven-year-old daughter Lindsey had posted vicious lies about Fran’s daughter Jessica on Facebook. Jessica was apparently devastated and refusing to go to school. Fran was demanding that Kate handle the situation or she was going to go to the principal. Flustered

Sometimes good parents find themselves all alone when it comes to finding help for their troubled teen. Maybe they were single parents from the start, maybe they’re divorced, their spouse had died, or maybe they are still married but the other parent is not interesting in being helpful but no matter the cause it can leave a worried parent feeling even more alone. Do you see yourself in one of these situations? Do you have a troubled teen and you do not know where to turn fo

Drug use is an epidemic; then again the term epidemic might be misleading considering that mind altering substances have been around since the dawn of mankind. As a Professional Counselor, who has spent a significant portion of his career working with teens that have developed a dependency for ...

Depression and anxiety are, by far, the most common mental health problems. Nearly 20 percent of the US population struggles with or will struggle with one or both of these problems. The most common treatment today for these issues is medication—typically prescribed by the primary care physician (not a psychiatrist). This treatment is considered a Biological intervention, as the medication is designed to alter the individual's brain chemistry.

Many parents struggle with conversing with their adolescent. Attempts at communication often result in yelling, slamming doors, feelings of resentment, and a sense of hopelessness that issues can be resolved. Below are nine strategies to enhance communication with your teen.

n n Parenting Tips nn Examples to help parents and caregivers create healthy attachments with infants nn 1. According to the psychoanalyst, Erick Erickson, there are eight stages of social-emotional development across a lifespan. Each stage has a conflict, which needs to be worked through and a functional balance should be achieved in order to have a healthy development. The first stage of psychosocial development is trust vs. mistrust, which occurs during infancy.nn 2. Accor

When we talk of self help, it usually brings the image of a grown up person trying to improve himself. But self help is not limited to grown ups. Even teens need self-help training. Why? Because of 2 important reasons. nnHere are two crucial reasons why your teenage son or daughter should start focusing on self-development:nnReason #1: Teens today live in highly competitive world nnTimes have changed. There is increased competition at every level. Children have to study more.

Tara (not her real name) couldn’t listen to her mother bad-mouthing the next- door neighbor to her friends for another minute. Tara had always found this neighbor to be friendly and helpful. She couldn’t understand why her mother enjoyed making fun of her. Jordan closed his eyes in disgust as his father berated the coach. Jordan was really upset that the coach didn’t play him much during the last game, but the last thing he wanted was for his father to make a spectacle of hi

Few things are as rewarding as seeing your child glow from the inside out. And it happens when children have a high self esteem: when they know themselves to be unconditionally accepted, when they feel both loved and lovable, and when they feel a sense of belonging and self worth. nnHere are twelve simple activities that have really made a difference in our family. These are the rituals that I find especially important to staying connected and to communicating my love and app

As we all know and regret deeply, kids aren't born with instruction manuals informing us of the intricacies of how they work. As parents, our only option is to learn as we go. When our kids were babies, we learned to nap when they napped, to put valuables up on the high shelves, and that m&ms make excellent bribing tools when potty training. But now that your baby is no longer a baby (although he still may act that way from time to time), there is a whole new set of instructi

Dear Gracelyn, Today I write this letter to you so that you might better understand the tumultuous transformation that’s currently underway in our nation. For while your mother Shonnie and I are doing our best during your childhood to shelter you from adult concerns, I’m guessing that you sense a disturbance in the Force. As you know, we have elected Donald Trump as our president. I believe Trump is unworthy of the office. He behaves like a spoiled schoolyard bully; he pu

I was recently asked to do an “Ask the Expert” spot on Fox News about what parents can do about kids who party and drink heavily. Given the response from viewers, I decided to summarize some of the key points. As I thought about what I wanted to say in the brief time allocated, I realized that ...

Parents most often think they are doing the right thing for their children. However, the way parents encourage their child to behave their best or to try harder may not always come across to the child in the manner that will gain the correct response from the child. A parent may not always realize he or she is at fault for some of their child’s behavior, but it is a good idea to know how to recognize a few areas that will cause rebellion from a child.nnNagging is the behavi

Surrogacy can be a very risky procedure especially in states that have no clear laws and statutes about this process. The process of surrogacy often leads to many legal complications especially traditional surrogacy. Traditional surrogacy is a mutual agreement between the surrogate mother and the intended parents to carry and deliver the child. In this process, the surrogate mother’s own egg cells are fertilized by the intended parent through artificial insemination. This p

An adolescent in Texas recently was in the news for killing and/or injuring several persons due to recklessly driving his new BMW while quite intoxicated. Apparently, this teen had an alcohol-related incident a few months before this tragedy. At trial a psychologist testified that this boy should not be incarcerated because he was a victim of his parents’ wealth and indulgence. The syndrome was coined “Affluenza.” Amazingly, the judge agreed and sentenced the teen to a 120 days in a posh treatment facility.

Need counseling? People see me because of my unique approach. Let me explain…. How we see the world and handle our adult life is so influenced by our experiences growing up.

Children with Attention Deficit Disorder should not have to suffer from insomnia, headaches or nervousness in order to be able to focus on school work. Natural ADD and ADHD treatments exist without the side effects caused by many of the common pharmaceuticals available. Millisecond Timing

Surfing the Internet (as I am wont to do at times), I ran across an article entitled “Dogs and Babies”. It was written by an author in reaction to a story that she read in the Wall Street Journal. This author stated that dog owners have a fear of introducing their babies to their dogs and ...

If your child is in the pre school stage this only means one thing- you are done with the terrible 2’s and 3’s. Now, comes a new world for parenting, the pre school age. This is now a whole new different ball game. This is the time when your precious ones are starting to explore. Pre school ranges from ages 4- 6 years of age, this is what they call the exploratory or the questioning age. Questioning age because your pre school never stops asking the “why” questions- s

"Ultimately the bond of all companionship, whether in marriage or in friendship, is conversation." - Oscar Wilde n Whether it was a long time ago or recently, you promised to love, honor, and cherish your spouse. That includes the way you talk with each other. Perhaps you've slipped into ...

Baby Slings are rapidly gaining popularity as more and more parents discover the many benefits they have to offer. Babywearing is a convenient, portable, hands free method of transporting your baby with ease, and gives babies a sense of calm, security and trust when they are carried in a sling wrap or baby carrier.nnRecently I spoke with Keren Levi, founder of My Baby Nest™, to get her insight on the babywearing phenomenon.nnDavid: How long has babywearing been around?nnKer

I met Frankie the day I walked into his sixth-grade classroom as a fledgling student teacher full of fear and trepidation. I had just spent two years assisting at a day care center and had decided to go to teacher’s college to become a kindergarten teacher. What was I doing in a sixth-grade classroom?