Parenting & Raising Kids

We’ve talked here several times in past about self-esteem in kids and self-esteem in teenagers. We’ve even talked about false self-esteem (what I call the American Idol Syndrome) and the dangers of it for parents and children.
Here is an interesting article on How To Talk To Teenagers. A large […]

Any time someone writes about childhood there is bound to be some discussion about the phrase “Kids can be so cruel.” Of course this is often followed by some variation of advising parents to repeat to their children the childhood rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.”
This […]

Every year as September approaches, parents promise themselves that “This year will be different.” Come to think of it, this is the same thing that parents do as the New Year approaches, but that’s another entry.
What should parents do when they realize that the school year is underway and their hopes and for an […]

Have you thought about having your children learn how to play the piano?
Most of us remember playing one instrument or another as a child. Of course, if the ideas was our own or if we liked the instrument we were playing, that would be one thing, but if the parents were forcing […]

What is it with kids and their attitudes these days? Somehow, at some point in our history, we’ve decided to put up with kids having horrible attitudes. Even worse, we’ve allowed them to manifest those attitudes in behaviors.
You may remember your own parents “threatening to wipe that smirk off your face.” What […]

How do you define an out of control child? One who refuses to listen to her parents? Another who throws temper tantrums when a parent attempts to punish him?
To paraphrase a famous saying, “You might not be able to define an out of control kid, but you’ll know one when you see one.” […]

How many parents have threatened that if their kids don’t behave properly, they will send them off to military school?
With the access that kids have to information these days via the Internet, they can find out if military schools do indeed exist and what they are like. In fact, a little research shows that […]

When trying to figure out how to stop kids from lying, parents should first examine the reasons why the behavior is occurring in the first place. Kids and teens lie for a variety of reasons.
1. Kids lie to avoid punishment and getting in trouble for something they’ve done. It is much easier […]