Arguing with kids often seems like a losing battle—and it is. No matter what you say, your child has a smart comeback that pushes your buttons or leaves you speechless. And worst of all, when your child is angry, nothing is fair, and it's never their fault. In any argument, your child might set different... Read more »
Have your child's angry outbursts worn you down so much that you've simply learned to give in? You should know that this is not a phase or a behavior that will go away. Anger is a fact of life. Everyone gets angry, including kids—they get frustrated and disappointed just like adults. The goal for children as... Read more »
You thought the terrible twos were bad. Now you’re dealing with the terrible thirteens—and it’s even worse. When she was two, she cried, kicked, and screamed. At 13, she’s yelling, slamming doors, storming out of the house, and screaming, “You can’t control me!” You can reduce and eliminate teenage tantrums by taking these six steps. But... Read more »
Do you have a “good” kid who’s starting to act out? All of a sudden, he’s pushing your buttons, failing to comply with rules and his bad attitude has soared through the roof. You start to wonder what happened to your child—and where you went wrong. Your parenting hasn’t changed, so what’s going on? What’s... Read more »
Self-esteem, self-worth, and self-respect are interchangeable phrases we use to identify our kids' confidence in their ability to handle life's problems. I think of it as the feeling that things are going to work out all right, that you can manage the bumps in the road, and that you respect yourself. Each time a child... Read more »
Q: What do the other children in the family experience when they have a brother or sister who’s hostile or acts out chronically? James: It’s traumatizing when something hurtful happens to you, and you can’t control it, you can’t stop it, you can’t predict how hurtful it’s going to be, and you can’t predict when or whether... Read more »
When I answered the phone, I heard the shrieks immediately. It was obvious that a child was having a nuclear meltdown on the other end of the line and the mother, exhausted and frantic, was calling parent coaching for help. As the mother tried to explain what was going on, I struggled to hear her... Read more »
What do you do if you find out that your child is a bully? Perhaps you received a phone call from your child's school. Or maybe from another parent. Either way, if you think your child is bullying others, it’s very important to start working with him or her now. This behavior is already hurting... Read more »
When we think of peer pressure, we typically have a picture in our minds of a kid handing your child a cigarette, a joint, or a beer and saying something like, “Come on, just try it.” But at times peer pressure can be felt without a single word being spoken, like when a clique excludes... Read more »
Have you gotten "the call" from your child's school? Janet Lehman, MSW talks frankly about how she and her husband James handled things when their son had trouble at school. During our son’s third-grade year, we received a phone call from his teacher saying that she was concerned about our child’s chances of passing that year.... Read more »
