The Most Powerful Family Ritual? The Bedtime Story There is simply nothing more powerful than the bedtime story—especially in this age of continuous screen time. The bedtime story is the perfect ending to the day. So let’s rethink and reclaim this special decompression time for both parent and child. It is not just something we […]
“You are so good at that!” you announce to the child, firmly believing that this warm praise is going to boost the child’s self-esteem and… increase performance. But in study after study, and book after book, the widely accepted consensus is that complimenting your kids can cause lifelong problems and actually decrease performance, especially if you
Once your child is born, you can expect major changes in your life. Your focus goes from your own life to the life of your son or daughter, and that alone can be enough to scare parents. What many new parents don’t expect are some of the smaller, more subtle changes that are associated with
Is your teenager depressed? The symptoms may be harder to spot than obvious blues. The following are some of the signs of teenage depression, and are most significant when they occur in combination and over a period lasting more than two weeks. • First, sadness, anxiety and hopelessness. • Second, lack of interest in food
Adults often ask me, “What question do you hear most from teens?” The most frequent concern that teens have, and the one most often voiced by patients, and in letters from readers of our books is, “Am I normal?” This question can be asked in many different ways. One teen might say, “I’m fourteen, but
The prospect for seeking professional help from a family counselor, a psychologist, or psychiatrist can be a painful one. But your teen or your family may need professional help in the following instances: One, if you’re caught up in hurtful patterns of behavior that create and perpetuate tension within the family. Two, if your teen
So your child has expressed an interest in riding a bike. Now what do you do? Well first you need to find a suitable bicycle. If you do buy a bike, take your son with you to the bicycle shop and get expert advice to be sure the bike fits him. Don’t get a bike
Parents who really believe that spanking is the only way to discipline usually continue to do it, no matter how many family counselors or parenting specialists advise against it. Parents who are unsure about ways to discipline, but who are open to learning other ways to guide or discipline their children, DO usually try other
At about 15 many teens go through a period of being introspective and moody. They seem to be thinking through how they feel about themselves and figuring out how this perception matches with what others think of them. Most of them work through this and come to terms with their self image by age 16.
Busy, overloaded days often make us unaware that family communication is suffering. Congratulations to those parents who take notice and want to improve the situation. However maybe it is more the âwhatâ than the âhowâ thatâs the problem. For example, if you ask parents to list what they talk with their school aged children or
