Questions about why children act the way they do. See the tag [discipline] about enforcing your rules.
7
votes
5answers
855 views
Any suggestions on how to control yelling and negativity on our part, and also teach my 8 yr old son to not feel so helpless and cry so easily?
This is about my 8-year old son, who cries easily and helplessly, mostly in response to our enforcing discipline and routine or refusing things he wants.
I understand that he should not expect to be ...
7
votes
4answers
1k views
9 year old has uncontrollable raging fits
We have 4 kids, aged 9, 6, 4 and 20 months. boy, girl, boy girl. The nine year old boy is in general a delightful, well-behaved, kind and considerate boy. Sometimes he becomes so overwhelmed by his ...
6
votes
1answer
136 views
How do you handle a pre-schooler who tries to use excuses to justify his behavior?
My boy is creeping out of 5 1/2. Right now we're dealing with a phase of "Justifications" We tell him not to do something but he starts with, "I'm just" or follows up with "It was an accident"
I ...
5
votes
7answers
346 views
Should our 3 year old boy be made to look at me while I am talking (during discipline)?
Our little boy tends to get 3 minutes on the naughty spot when he's done something wrong. After this time one of us tries to explain why he's been naughty spotted and what he should do differently ...
5
votes
3answers
190 views
Should I try and prevent my child from becoming like me (in some aspects)?
As an adult I realize I am not perfect. I have my "glitches". One of them is that I am too shy and an introvert to people that I do not know well (somewhat extrovert to friends and family). Would I ...
5
votes
5answers
255 views
How do you prepare for the “terrible twos”?
I keep hearing about how bad things get once a child enters the "terrible twos". I know quite a few parents who claim that the age is just a natural time for frequent temper tantrums, and non-stop ...
0
votes
3answers
228 views
Is there any harm to letting an infant's hair grow long?
My niece is 7 months old, and has long hair: around say 20-25cm. We are planning to cut her hair against our wishes because we think it could make it easier for her to catch a cough or cold. Is long ...
5
votes
2answers
3k views
How can I get my 7 m/o to stop rubbing her eyes?
We have observed our 7 month old rubbing her eyes ever since we can remember. She does this especially when she's tired, but also when she's bored or starting to get frustrated.
She'll oftentimes rub ...
11
votes
7answers
977 views
How much of an effect does parenting style have on a child?
I'm not a parent and I haven't done as much research as anyone on this website.
This question is motivated by looking at many of my friends. Sometimes, I find that one sibling is a high achiever, ...
5
votes
4answers
2k views
How to stop my 8 year old to cry every time she's frustrated
My 8 years old daughters is usually very good.
Although in the last few months she started to cry more and more each time she can't have something she wants. The odd thing is that it's something she ...
1
vote
0answers
43 views
What are some ways to measure parental success in America? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How do you evaluate yourself as a parent?
Knowing our culture is important so lets say in American culture.
At the end of the day/year/stage of a child's life, how can ...
2
votes
3answers
158 views
Using a visual device to indicate good/bad behavior status for toddlers
My 3 year old has a habit of not eating her dinner. It's been our policy to tell her if she's not going to eat, she can just go to bed. Sometimes she's happy to do that, so we wanted to further ...
9
votes
6answers
324 views
How do you address a 5 year old that has problems accepting corrections?
My 5 year old niece who is 'kind of' smart, (i.e. was playing solitaire online before her 3rd birthday and is now doing 4 digit addition/subtraction and multiplication up to 5's; and reads chapter ...
4
votes
4answers
2k views
How do you teach a 1 year old to stop biting people?
I have a friend with a one year old that bites people, maybe as a sign of affection, but doesn't know that it hurts others. How can his parents discipline him regarding this behavior?
Do you try to ...
6
votes
4answers
776 views
How to teach the importance of being considerate?
I am having difficulty showing and explaining how to be considerate and thoughtful of other's feelings.
How can I teach a child to be consciously thoughtful and observant of other people?
Or
What ...
5
votes
2answers
174 views
How can I stop my pre-schooler from whining?
My 3 year old son has been whining a lot. We make him rephrase and say it in an appropriate voice, but this has been going on for about a month. Are there any other ideas of how to handle this?
5
votes
3answers
253 views
Should I discourage my son from “stealing” toys from Let's Rock Elmo?
My 15 month old son has Let's Rock Elmo, which includes drums, microphone, and tambourine for Elmo to play.
However, my son has several times decided that he wanted the instrument Elmo was "using" at ...
6
votes
2answers
194 views
How can I encourage my 4.5 year old daughter to eat without needing tons of time along with play?
It seems that our daughter is not so fond of most foods. She is fond of milk though - any kind of milk, cow, goat, even soy. While eating I get the feeling she is bored. She eats very slowly and not ...
5
votes
3answers
299 views
How do I teach my toddler not to stuff her cheeks with food?
My 20-month-old daughter, given the opportunity, will stuff her cheeks full of food she likes (especially cheese, raising, or green beans) to the point where it's difficult for her to chew or swallow. ...
5
votes
2answers
348 views
How should I respond to my daughter's impolite behavior?
My daughter is 5 years old. She often "plays" rudely with me. For example, she'll kick me, and I cannot explain clearly to her that the behavior is impolite.
How should I respond when she behaves ...
5
votes
2answers
524 views
How can we help my 7 year old quit sucking her thumb?
My daughter who is now 7 is still sucking her thumb. It is a great embarrassment to her and she always talks about how it is her big secret from her friends. We have tried the finger nail polish, ...
6
votes
5answers
237 views
To medicate or not to medicate?
My son is a bright, enthusiastic, caring, extrovert, who also meets the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD. He is social and has good friends. We put him in Montessori because the regular classroom wasn't ...
4
votes
4answers
469 views
How can my 7yo daugher increase her attention span in school?
I just had a chat today with the teacher of my 7 years old daughter. The teacher told me my daughter has a very short attention span during the class. She can't concentrate more than a few minutes on ...
1
vote
1answer
303 views
My 4.5yr-old girl is afraid of death. What should I do?
Last night my wife (as usual) was putting our 4.5yr-old baby girl to sleep. Our daughter becomes very chatty at that time and (especially in the presence of mom) expresses thoughts and things that ...
6
votes
2answers
479 views
How to go about regaining the trust of my child?
Having experienced parental alienation syndrome, my child is very reticent and unresponsive to my attempts in rebuilding our relationship. The condition is very much like sulking, but with an ...
5
votes
1answer
295 views
How does a child develop “handed-ness”?
I've noticed that my son generally experiments fine motor skills initially using his left-hand (stacking, eating with utensils, coloring) and then shifts to using his right more often. I'm honestly ...
7
votes
2answers
101 views
Why did these two pre-schoolers swap their tantrum behaviour?
I have just noticed this in 2 boys, aged 3,4.
The 3 year old used to throw tantrums quite frequently over trivial matters (such as me holding the ball I'm throwing in the right rather than the left ...
9
votes
4answers
568 views
How to deal with incessant talking?
Our 4 year-old is constantly talking. This isn't your average pestering parents on a topic until they answer or you lose interest. He never loses interest and continually switches to any random ...
10
votes
5answers
331 views
How do you respond to a teenager who has started to smoke?
How can you best handle this? Coming off as too strong and authoritative might invite "rebellion". Too lenient makes it seem okay.
What is the best response for driving home the dangers and risks ...
5
votes
5answers
638 views
How do I teach my child to express his frustration?
My son is two and testing his boundaries. In general, I'm comfortable with that and have no problem with him getting frustrated when he's not allowed to do something. Unfortunately, his normal mode ...
15
votes
7answers
735 views
How can I negotiate with a toddler successfully?
Recently our 2.5 daughter started being really annoying about doing simple daily things, like brushing her teeth, dressing, undressing, putting on shoes to go out, etc. Often we need to negotiate up ...
6
votes
5answers
583 views
How Should I React to an Indecisive Toddler?
I'm looking for anyone who might have had experience with an indecisive toddler. It happens mostly when tired but I'll ask him if he wants something and he will say no. Then when I go to put it away ...
9
votes
2answers
555 views
How can I help my child to stay still?
My 3 year old son is generally very well behaved and plays well with others. However, he just wont sit still when we need him to. He is good at staying still when he is focused on something, but as ...
9
votes
5answers
397 views
Is complimenting children where they can hear it good or bad?
TL;DR: Is there anything wrong with praising children to their parents while the children can hear it?
From R. Kipling's "The jungle book":
‘How beautiful are the noble children! How large are ...
5
votes
5answers
5k views
Can temper tantrums indicate a behavior problem?
I understand that temper tantrums are relatively normal for many children.
However, some children seem to have far more temper tantrums than other children their age, and others far fewer.
Can ...
7
votes
3answers
120 views
What are good ways to begin preparing a child for a new baby?
I have a 4 and a half month old, so this won't be applicable for a while, but I would like to raise my son with the idea that he won't be an only child forever. I want my children to have a good ...
4
votes
1answer
802 views
Why does my 3 year old keep acting like a baby, and should I try to actively stop it?
My daughter is 3 but often (and we are sure, concisely) acts like a baby, making gurgling whining noises, crawling about etc. Apart from being very irritating sounds from a three year old we don't ...
5
votes
2answers
208 views
What are guidelines for parents to use in giving advice/guidance to older teens?
My friend asked me for guidance regarding her son, so I am passing the question on.
Her very talented son is a senior in high school. Since it is his last year at home, he feels that he no longer ...
8
votes
3answers
211 views
Can you effectively influence the behavior of a 6 month old?
I've just started feeding my daughter solids, and I would like to teach her to not blow raspberries while there is food in her mouth (which is cute, but messy.)
Is it possible to communicate to her ...
2
votes
4answers
149 views
What are some good distractions for an infant?
My 4 month old is nearly able to sit up on his own and has gotten rather bored with activity mats, swings, and hanging toys. The only things of his he still likes, are a bit too advanced to hold his ...
7
votes
2answers
413 views
My child doesn't want to be seen in public with me… what should I do?
I drive my 10 year old child to school each day. However, lately he has been complaining about my dropping him off at school. He says it is embarrassing to be seen being dropped off by his father, ...
4
votes
5answers
425 views
How can I get my primary-schooler to remember to turn off the light?
I have a 8 year old kid with ADHD. He never turns off the lights when he leaves a room. Never. It's a pet peeve of mine when lights are kept on when not in use. His younger sister has learned and ...
9
votes
3answers
268 views
How can I handle a child that claims medical problems as a bad excuse?
I have 3 kids who seem to use medical reasons for excuses, most often to not go to bed. For instance, my 7 year old periodically "Can't move" at bed time to get to his bed, but when he gets in there, ...
3
votes
7answers
237 views
How can a parent remain sane? How do you keep your energy and temper? [closed]
I'm sure every parent has days like this:
Your child has been a troublemaker all day. You are exhausted, and at your wits' end. It would be nice to just take a break, to have someone else take ...
5
votes
5answers
267 views
How should I deal with my toddler's difficult behavior towards food?
My daughter is almost 15 months old and has always been a small eater. She was breastfed for the first 5 months then solids were gradually introduced. It went okay for the first few weeks but soon it ...
10
votes
2answers
308 views
Should imaginary friends be accepted or discouraged?
As a professional working with families, I am often asked about imaginary friends. I never experienced this behavior with my own son so I have little personal information to share.
One child ...
12
votes
7answers
6k views
Why does my child eat so slowly?
When we have a family meal, the middle daughter will always take her time. I mean up to 2 hours, to finish a meal, especially if its not her kind of food. She'll get very easily distracted, sing to ...
3
votes
5answers
5k views
Should I stop my infant from sucking his thumb?
My 2-month-old has recently discovered his thumb. He used to often suck his hands, normal baby behavior, and occasionally would "find" his thumb and happily suck for a while - usually when he was ...
7
votes
5answers
4k views
Why is my toddler having trouble sleeping?
My son is 3 years old and lately he has been having problems sleeping. I've heard kids his age are supposed to sleep around 10-12 hours a day, although I'm no sure. He used to sleep on the afternoons ...
3
votes
4answers
294 views
Should we use a smiley chart to reward/punish our toddler?
Possible Duplicate:
How to operate a successful “Star Chart”?
Our nanny came up with an idea today to create a sort of table for our daughter, where they would draw a sun or ...
