Watching a young girl hit, kick, and call her mother names I never imagined a 6 year old knew, engaged in an (ultimately successful) attempt to get dessert led to an enlightening luncheon conversation with a few friends last week. As parents ourselves, we had all dealt with incidents like…
Every parent has been there. Your usually angelic (or at least moderately well behaved) child is suddenly intractable, full of rage, or even engaged in a full-blown temper tantrum. Worse, your usual discipline measures don’t even make a dent in the attitude or anger. What to do? First of all…
When babies are born they are unable to make decisions for themselves and the young lives in our care deserve the best that we can provide and it is our responsibility to ensure that we give them a natural and healthy environment to grow in. The author looks at things…
Do you know the difference between discipline and punishment with their Latin roots? Punishment implies inflicting pain, while discipline means to teach. Parents who use punishment are missing important opportunities to teach their children better behaviors and help them self-discipline. Children can actually be taught responsible behaviors to help them…
Young, wild, and free … isn’t that what it’s supposed to feel like to be a teenager? While it’s normal for teens to push and discover their limits, it’s also dangerous. Due in large part to the fact that parenting decisions are only as sound as the information on which…
Eating disorders are on the rise, which raises serious concern for parents. Although eating disorders normally appear during adolescence or in early adulthood, children as young as 4 have also been susceptible to body image issues that can help to trigger eating disorders. Parents should understand the signs of an…
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. We’re talking about that heart-stopping moment when a child chokes on food. In an instant, you have a life-or-death situation on your hands. Perhaps the most frightening aspect is that choking is unpredictable and can stem from what seems like the most innocuous foods, everyday…
The arrival of a newborn baby is not exactly full of fun and excitement. First-time parents, most especially, have a propensity to experience mixed emotions about the whole thing. This is probably the reason why most people turn to experienced parents such as friends or relatives for some much-needed parenting…
Demanding children – children who have entitlement issues – seem to be common these days. Like the obnoxious child, Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, who was constantly demanding that her father get her whatever she wanted (“I want an Umpa Lumpa! Get it for me NOW!”),…
When your teenager starts to get out of hand you have to ask yourself some hard questions. The first step is to honestly evaluate how you think you’re doing when communicating with your teen. Do you feel you are sharing valuable information and time? Or do you feel there is…