Do you ever wonder what happened to your sweet, affectionate, “glad to be part of this family” younger child? Did your child enter adolescence with a sudden cloud of distance, brooding, and sullen behavior? Is she desperate to be as far away from your family as possible? It’s one of the more heartbreaking aspects of parenting.... Read more »
This is the third and final installment in a three-part series of articles by James Lehman, MSW, on the difficult topic of adult children living at home. In this segment, James addresses the issue of setting up a living agreement with your child. For those parents who haven’t set up a structured agreement when their child... Read more »
Every time Karen tells her 5-year-old son Jayden it’s time to leave a friend’s house, he explodes, throwing his toys, screaming and kicking her. “It’s gotten to the point that I don’t want to take him anywhere anymore,” she says. For Sarah, the problem is a little different. Her 3-year-old toddler has started biting other... Read more »
Do you have an adult child living with you? If you're in constant conflict with an older child over everything from curfews (should they have one or shouldn’t they?), to getting a job, to alcohol use, James Lehman offers advice on how to set reasonable limits and how to coach your child to responsibility and... Read more »
Just a few years ago, it was, "Can I get you anything while I’m up, Papa?" and "Look what I made for you at school today," as well as "Let me make you breakfast in bed." Today my daughter Riley is fifteen, and I consider myself lucky if I can get her to look me... Read more »
It seems whenever you turn on any news program there’s a frightening story about today’s youth: violence, vandalism, risky behavior and outright refusal to follow parental or societal rules. The fact is there have always been a certain number of people – youth and adults – who engage in criminal behavior, since the beginning of... Read more »
How do you know if your child is going through an adolescent phase or if their out-of-control behavior is here to stay? "Every teen goes through this," you tell yourself. But in the back of your mind, you wonder if your child's disrespect, acting-out, and destructive behaviors are normal. When you're a parent, it's troubling and... Read more »
“My son is dating the most awful girl. Why can’t I get him to see that?” “I really don’t like my daughter’s boyfriend. How can I make her break up with him?” Many parents contact the parent coaching team every week asking questions about how to get their son or daughter to stop seeing the person they are... Read more »
“God, you’re so stupid. Just leave me alone!” If you’re the parent of a teen, you’ve probably heard a version of this coming from your child’s lips—or expressed with an eye roll or door slam. It’s very painful for us when our children suddenly can’t stand the sight of us, and act like they’d rather die... Read more »
It's the moment every parent dreads: finding out their child is sexually active. I think, on some level, we all realize this day is going to happen eventually. Most of us hope it's not going to be until they are grown and out of the house. But that's not always the case. So, as a... Read more »
