It's January. Time to start anew. New Year’s resolutions are a great opportunity for you and your child to reflect on the past year and communicate about areas where there might room for improvement. Making New Year’s goals provides the opportunity for children to understand the...
Parents typically are much more worried about having to take their child to a professional than the kids are. Kids and teens usually view their therapist (well, a good one) as an adult sounding board: someone besides their parents who can offer "what if" scenarios...
The kids are off to overnight camp! Which parent of summer campers are you? Are you one of the “I can’t wait till they’re off” folks, or the “I can’t wait till they come home” types? The former are often parents of veteran campers, or moms/dads who...
Last night, a shooting occurred in an Orlando nightclub. In December, 2012, the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary shooting occurred in Connecticut. These senseless shootings remind us all too often that it won't be the last. We, as parents, struggle with the news, but how do we tell our children? What should we say?
How are you going to handle the change?
When you have a new baby on the way, so many questions go through your mind. Am I going to be a good parent? Will my baby be healthy? Will s/he sleep through the night? What do I do when…?
When you have a second, third, fourth, etc. baby on the way, the biggest question most parents who have already had at least one child ask is, “How is my older child going to adjust to a new baby?
You’ve probably heard some of the classic ways the big sibling can adjust to the new baby in the house: have
Sticks and Stones Aren’t the Only Harmful Methods Many adults can still recall the name of the “school bully” (or bullies) from childhood. Bullying is not a new challenge for children, but it should not be dismissed as simply “a part of growing up”. Bullying is a serious issue of abuse: it can be emotional, verbal, physical, or some combination of the three. In 2011, the Journal of Child Development discussed a study conducted at UCLA where it was determined that verbal abuse happens twice as often as physical abuse and “the students who were beat up and those who were called names were equally bothered.” Today, we have an additional form of bullying: cyber bullying, which takes bullying to a whole new level and can continue to harm children when they want to be in the safety of their own homes. How will you know if your child is being bullied?
My Child Won't Tell Me What's Going On Even if your child won’t talk with YOU about being bullied, the important thing is that he feels he has a safe place to go to talk about it. Know the 11 warning signs your child may be a victim of bullying. Whether it’s an aunt, uncle, grandparent, teacher, coach, family friend, or social worker, make sure your child feels safe talking to someone. If your child does tell you about the bullying, don’t assume that your child has done something to cause it. It may not make sense to you, but at this point it doesn’t matter why it’s happening, it just matters that it is indeed happening.
Teens often ask their parents if they can go out with friends, to the mall, the movies, the local hang out, etc. As a parent, your gut reaction may be to say no because of all the potential dangers of saying yes to your teen. But, before you respond to your teen's request, make sure you follow the law. Should a Teenage Girl Be Allowed to Go out in Public with Two Male Friends? Recently, a friend asked on social media if she truly was the horrible parent her teen thought she was when she wouldn't allow her daughter to go to a mall with two male friends (one year her senior). Many parents chimed in with support for this mom with comments like, "Good for you!" or "Do you remember what you were doing with teenage boys at her age?" or "It's not her you should be worried about, it's the boys." When I read this, I restrained myself from commenting for quite some time. Actually, it was probably an hour or two, but whose counting?
Is Your Child Playing Video Games Too Much?
Most parents feel that their kids are playing video games too long. It may not be as bad as you think. If you haven't read our original article on video game playing time, take a look at what 4 questions to ask yourself to determine if your kids' video game playing time is too much. Maybe don't show this to your kids. :-)