A spoiled child makes unfair demands on others, does not respond to “no,” and constantly wants an adult to entertain him. The spoiled child gets his way with whining and tantrums. Spoiled aren’t happy, because they don’t get along with age mates or grown ups. They also tend to be poorly motivated to work hard. […]
Breath holding spells occur in some children who are able to hold their breath long enough to actually pass out. Only five per cent of children have this abnormal reflex. They are healthy in every other way. Following a triggering event, such as being frustrated or falling down, your child cries once, holds his breath,
Toddlers can learn a lot by going shopping with you. They can also get into trouble at the supermarket, so here are some tips. • First, to prevent grabbing food off the shelves, distract your child. On arrival, give her a snack such as animal crackers. Keep her sitting in the grocery cart seat and
Most small babies love to be carried and cuddled, but some do not. If yours is an uncuddly baby, he may seem to resent the physical restriction of being held. • Instead of molding himself to the curves of your body, he probably wriggles and fights. He may hurt your feelings; you may have to
Coping with a baby who can’t be comforted is definitely the downside of parenting. When you’ve tried everything and your baby still cries, he can come to be seen as a baby who won’t be comforted, a baby who’s rejecting you on purpose. If you feel yourself getting angry, try to hand him to somebody
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
Many teen girls worry about breast size, usually because they feel their breasts are too small. They wonder if they’re normal, and if they’ll grow more. Reassure your daughter that development is a process lasting some years. Studies show that the average white American female does not reach a final stage of breast growth and
Two of the most common eating disorders seen in teens are anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Anorexia nervosa usually occurs in young women, but occasionally afflicts young men. The symptoms include obsessional fear of obesity coupled with refusal to eat, compulsive exercising, severe weight loss and body image distortion. This causes a severely underweight teen to
Has your teenager had a lot of accidents and injuries lately? A series of accidents or obviously reckless behavior can be a sign of depression, even suicidal feelings, and professional counseling may be in order. If your teen doesn’t seem to have serious emotional problems but is still accident prone, try the following strategies: •
Teenage girls are most at risk for developing eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Both boys and girls can be at risk for compulsive overeating and obesity. Being even more specific, who are the teenagers most at risk for eating disorders? • First, perfectionistic teens are at high risk for anorexia nervosa and
