http://www.phponline.org Practical Solutions that Strengthen Relationships at Home Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:33:47 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Dear Sharon, With the holidays here our children are naturally expecting the usual gifts and probably even more than last year. Any ideas for how we can cut back on some of the gift giving without making them feel deprived or worried about things. Dear Parents, Most parents (including myself) love ... http://www.phponline.org/holidays/thinking-about-the-holidays-in-challenging-economic-times Dear Sharon, Healthy eating is very important to us and our kids are comfortable with our priority for that. However, our 9-year-old son hangs out a lot with a friend whose parents have a different way of operating apparently. When he’s with them, they give him all ... http://www.phponline.org/food-issues/healthy-eating-away-from-home Dear Sharon, We want to start the school year off right and have tried to set a schedule for our kids to do their homework that will keep them up to date, and that will keep them away from cell phones and television. However, we now find that we are ... http://www.phponline.org/handling-technology/managing-homework-my-space-and-facebook Dear Sharon, How can a parent know the difference between a child who has a learning difficulty and a child who is just distracted? It seems that we hear so much now about kids having various “issues”. If my 6 1/2 year old son isn’t concentrating on his ... http://www.phponline.org/school/how-to-help-a-distracted-child Dear Sharon, I am having trouble getting my two-year-old son to give up his pacifier. Do you have any suggestions? Dear Parent, Most two year olds (and adults) have things they do to comfort themselves. Many young children suck on things (fingers, thumbs, hair, coat strings, blankets, toys or pacifiers). When ... http://www.phponline.org/childrens-behavior/saying-good-bye-to-a-pacifier Dear Sharon, My children are in a phase where they only want their Mommy. I’m a father that feels left out! Any ideas that might help? Thanks! A sad Dad Dear Dad, I hope it is comforting to know that you are not alone! Many children go through ... http://www.phponline.org/busy-dads/my-child-only-wants-mommy We Have a New Baby! Will Our Lives and Our Relationship Ever Get Back to Normal? A new baby brings plenty of changes that are almost impossible to comprehend ahead of time. It is hard to really believe that eating, sleeping, taking a shower, or even brushing your teeth might ... http://www.phponline.org/new-parents/were-having-a-new-baby Dear Sharon, My son is 11 and he is pretty certain that he is old enough to chaperone his 9-year-old brother when we go out for an evening. He thinks he’s ready to handle personal responsibility and we’re not agreeing. Many of his friends are in fact ... http://www.phponline.org/siblings/leaving-siblings-home-alone Dear Sharon, My six year old wants to know about his friend’s family getting a divorce. Do you have any advice as to how we describe it to him? He seems upset because his friend is upset and he also seems anxious about his Daddy and I, and we’d ... http://www.phponline.org/divorce/talking-about-divorce Dear Sharon, I’m concerned about the girl bullying that’s going on at my daughter’s middle school. Recently my daughter was physically threatened by a “group” of girls and she is afraid. She won’t let me do anything about it, like speak to the administration or the girls or ... http://www.phponline.org/teenagers/bullying