When Should Children Get a Cell Phone?
Our 8 year old daughter wants her own cell phone. What do we do? She says other kids have them. Help! Dear Parents, As the particulars of families vary widely I believe that there is
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Cruise to Graduation
This story is a testament to the power of parent child relationships. S. was a single Mom of a high school senior. A widow, she had been living alone with her son for many years.
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12 Year Old Bully
Dear Sharon, Our next-door neighbor’s son is a bully. He is 12 years old, sizeable and formidable. I know he’s a bully because my 10-year-old son is one of his many victims. I don’t know
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Explaining a Consequence to A Child Who Isn’t Listening.
Z.and his Mom came to see me because he was upset after his teacher had kept him from going out at recess several times recently. Z. had received the consequence for refusing to follow a
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Things to Keep in Mind when Your Child is “Acting Up.”
Stressors from in or outside the home often contribute to a child’s problematic behavior. It can help for parents to follow one or more of these suggestions if possible: 1. identify and lessen the troubling
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Angry Brothers and Sisters
One Way I Made a Small Dent in My Children’s Sibling Rivalries. My biological son, S, had a lot of brothers and sisters. Two older stepsiblings, a younger sister with health problems and an even
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A Game that Helps Pressures coming from School
Children can get upset by challenges they face in school. Setting aside time to “play” school at home sometimes helps lighten the load. If a child gets to be the teacher and parents take the
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Helping with the Trauma of 9/11
I live in Brooklyn, by miles not far from “ground zero”. My neighborhood was affected deeply on 9/11. Neighbors died, a local firehouse 2 blocks from my office lost most of the firefighters on duty,
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Helping a Recalcitrant Child
E. was the Mom of a just turned 5 year old daughter, G. They had a close relationship and spent many hours each day together. They especially enjoyed doing crafts projects even though G. would
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Planning Ahead
Many children repeat challenging behavior and parents understandably hope that these troublesome moments will somehow be better “tomorrow.” As children grow things do change but even so it can help if parents keep track of
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