“There’s a sale on school supplies,” I told my then 11-year-old son. “Let’s go. You can pick out all your own binders and folders.” “Mom, you are ruining summer,” he wailed. “I don’t want to think about school. I hate school!” This was not news to me. He struggled with ADHD and school demanded he be—and do—all... Read more »
Why do some kids try to become the so-called "alpha dogs" of their families? The answer lies in an old saying: nature abhors a vacuum. And in my experience, if there's a power vacuum in a family, somebody's going to try to fill it. And too often, it's a bossy or domineering child. "If your child... Read more »
Girl bullying. Mean girls. Relational bullying. Whatever you call it, it's bullying and most girls will experience some form of it at some point during their childhood. I recently gave a talk about bullying to a group of parents in my city. Afterward, a nervous-looking dad approached the front of the room to ask me... Read more »
Some children demand constant attention and will not take "no" for an answer. Just as children need to learn the importance of saying “please” and “thank you,” they need to learn how to appropriately make requests. If you're the parent of a demanding child, rest assured that this is not a new problem and there... Read more »
Do you find yourself in full-on homework battles most nights of the week? It’s no surprise that most children and teens will dig in their heels when it comes to doing schoolwork. Think of it this way: How many kids want to do something that isn’t particularly exciting or pleasant? Most would prefer to be playing video... Read more »
You thought your son was just experimenting with drugs but had stopped. Now he’s failed a drug test for his work-study program at school, and you know: this is serious. Your teen daughter is hanging around with kids who are notorious for drinking and partying on the weekends. She’s come home drunk twice this month.... Read more »
Passive-aggressive resistance is when kids learn to develop power over you by resisting you. It's the opposite of aggression: instead of threatening or yelling at you, a passive-aggressive child simply doesn't answer you. He ignores you. The behavior looks like this: Your teen just walks into the house, goes upstairs, and doesn't say anything. When you... Read more »
As a parent, if you aren’t the boss in your family, the lines of authority can become blurred very quickly. When your children are unsure about who's really in charge, they often act out, engage in risky behavior, or become extremely bossy and patronizing as a result. And eventually, you start to resent them because... Read more »
I believe the distinction between mild rebelliousness and disrespect has to be drawn very clearly. But, as a parent, how do you know for sure if your child’s behavior has crossed the line and become truly disrespectful? And what should you do when they cross the line? When a child is being rude or complaining that... Read more »
Not now. Later. Tomorrow. That’s when many teenagers say they plan to complete their household chores or tackle their homework. To a certain extent, this is normal—many of us have a tendency to delay, to put off until tomorrow what we don’t want to do today. There is a difference, however, between the occasional delayer and... Read more »
