Children and teenagers are relentlessly bombarded with merchandise that entices. It can be difficult to find contentment when a newer, better, faster gizmo of the moment hits the market every day. What’s a parent to do? First, try to put yourself in your child’s shoes. The pressure to fit in and to belong is particularly [...]

Homo sapiens has built, constructed, and assembled, ever since the first sapien attempted putting together two rocks with his phlegm. The powerful inborn trait first shows itself when children watch Dad build something with tools. This translates into a strong desire to participate, which leaves you with a decision to make: Do I want to [...]

Q: Whenever we tell my daughter “no,” she just bugs and pesters until we give in. I know it’s wrong to give in, but she makes things so unpleasant that we give in just to make peace. How can we turn this situation around? A: You have a problem. Your daughter knows that your nos [...]

You want your daughter to wear a dress to the party. She wants to wear jeans. You want your toddler to take his medicine. He does everything he can to keep that yucky stuff out of his mouth. The more you insist, the more they resist. You can break free from power struggles and turn [...]

Reading is the most efficient and economical way to help anyone to acquire information, knowledge, skills and improve on one self. And it is most wonderful to help your child to be a great reader as young as possible. The best way to help a child or any one to learn a skill and be [...]

As the flurry of Back to School activities subside, parents are left to ponder more pressing issues than notebooks, backpacks, and sneakers. Will my child succeed this year? Will his academic and social growth meet my hopes and expectations? Have I done everything I can to make this possible? If you haven’t prepared your child [...]

According to the American Sleep Association 70% of all babies and infants at one time or another suffer from sleeping difficulties. So if bed time is a difficult time for you and your baby you are in good company. Rest assured that there is probably nothing wrong but of course when you are in doubt [...]

Even though the “Stop and Think” movement in ADHD treatment has lost some momentum lately, the basic strategies and techniques are still worth teaching your children. My favorite version of the technique it the “Five Step Problem Solving Strategy,” and it goes something like this. . . Teach your child this five step problem solving [...]

Often, the struggle at dinnertime with your picky eater is not so much about food as it is about control. As children become more independent, conflicts can arise as they carefully scrutinize what goes into their mouths. The more you push, the more they resist with the outcome resulting in tears and frustration. During one [...]

I have always found the notion of toilet training a toddler to be a bit much. I didn’t feel right about pushing my girls to do something I felt would eventually come naturally. At three years old, both my girls were potty trained … not because I read books and raced them to the porcelain [...]