“I’m telling!” may be the most annoying phrase that your child emits, particularly around the preschool age. But tattling usually boils down to one motivation: getting attention. Excessive tattling usually happens when kids aren’t mature enough to settle conflicts among themselves, and that’s normal for younger children. They look to…
Which way do you swing when your child behaves? What’s best – spanking or time outs? Before you even get to the point where discipline is needed, experts say that kids need clear-cut boundaries so that you can head off discipline problems before they even happen. Certainly, those boundaries need…
“Your hair is a mess.” “Why can’t you do better in school?” “Do you ever watch where you’re going? Are you constantly criticizing your children to the point where even you’re beginning to wonder if you’re too hard on them? By now you’ve likely heard the notion of choosing your…
Does it ever feel like time isn’t on your side, especially when you’ve got hungry mouths to feed? Between rushing from school to work to extracurricular activities, satisfying those big appetites can seem nearly impossible. In fact, it often feels like the drive-thru is the only place where you’ll achieve…
When it comes to cooking, there’s nothing quite like getting your kids in on the act, especially if they’re finicky eaters. Your child will have even more incentive to polish off his meal when he’s the one to prepare it. In addition to getting a helping hand in the kitchen,…
There may be nothing worse than being pregnant and feeling terrible. Being sick with a cold, the flu or some other malady may be even worse for pregnant women, whose medication options are limited. If you have a cold while pregnant, then the symptoms can seem worse than if you…
If your extended family is strewn from coast to coast – or even in different countries — then it might be hard to keep them in the loop about what’s going on in you and your kids’ lives. We all get busy and lose touch with family members once in…
February is Responsible Pet Owners’ Month, and what better way to train your kids than to put them in charge of man’s best friend? While one of the main goals of this month is to encourage pet owners to spay or neuter their pets, the general theme is to encourage…
Talk about hair-owing. There’s nothing worse than spending top dollar on hair accessories, only to have them disappear after just one wear. Ribbons, bows, barrettes and headbands are just some of the standard hair staples that are part of every girl’s wardrobe. The problem is keeping track of these fancy…
When it comes to patience, do you feel like you’re always running on empty? When York University conducted a study in 1999, respondents listed patience as the most important parenting skill. Of course, patience is fleeting. Even if you have it, it’s easy to lose once you’re under the pressure…