1-2-3 Magic: Parenting Tips

If you ask any parent in this country today if they want to enjoy their children, they will look at you as if you're crazy. "Enjoy my own kids? Of course I want to enjoy them. I love my kids. They're only going to be living with me for a short time."

These comments reflect parents' appreciation of their children as small, precious creatures who can be incredibly cute and adorable. But if you've been a parent for any length of time, you know these priceless little beings can also be incredibly difficult. They can whine, tantrum, and tease their sibs; they can refuse to eat, do their homework, pick up, or stay in bed. At these times, you still love your children, but they are definitely not enjoyable to be with.

This is especially true of strong-willed kids. Strong-willed children take the battle to you and will severely test you to see if you know what you're doing!

It's that time of year again! The little ones—and those who are not so little anymore—will soon be heading back to school. Read on for a few suggestions for teachers and parents to manage this exciting transition.

Do you enjoy being the family nag? I’m sure you don’t. However, in most American families, an unwitting conspiracy involving children, mothers, and fathers too often produces a condition known as the Manager Mom phenomenon. Manager Mom means that a mother’s supervision, direction, and monitoring are seen (by everyone in the family, including Mom!) as constantly essential for a smoothly running home.

How can we get the kids to help relieve Manager Mom? My theory is that parenting strategies that help with the Big Three—(1) family bonding, (2) kids’ independence, and (3) the division of labor around the house—will help eradicate Manager Mom syndrome.

ADHD has a profound influence on family life. Unfortunately, a lot of that influence contributes to an increase in daily household stress. The overall level of tension in the house, for example, is often relatively high. This tension results from factors such as widespread disorganization, messiness, noise, and periodic emotional outbursts from one person or another. In this post, we’ll focus on explicit, simple, and doable ways of dealing with and reducing this household tension.

Imagine two four-year-olds, Joe and Ben, in two different homes...

Let's assume that both children wanted Sugar Crisp cereal for breakfast, and their mothers got it for them. Let's then assume that both children changed their minds when the bowl arrived and requested Frosted Flakes instead. Naturally the parents resist, saying, "No dear, this is what you wanted," which prompts the children to knock the bowl of cereal on the floor and go into a major fit of temper. They scream at the top of their lungs, become beet red, and pound the table with both hands.

Let's take a look at the defining moment for the futures of parents and children alike...