All Questions
66
votes
13answers
9k views
How can I prevent my 8-year-old from spending time with his bad friend?
Backstory: My 8 yr old son is a bright, gentle, etc, kid who attends public school. My wife and I have no TV, we disallow violent games (simulated killing is not allowed), we don't have video games, ...
61
votes
16answers
4k views
How can you deal with tantrums without spanking?
My son just turned 2, and he started throwing more tantrums on us.
He doesn't eat well or drink enough milk ... and he is becoming more adamant and says "No" more often. If we force him to drink ...
50
votes
12answers
3k views
Should you let a toddler win?
We've started playing some simple games with my 2-year-old son, including a simple age-appropriate matching game.
He enjoys playing, but seems (to me, at least) more focused on playing over winning. ...
46
votes
15answers
1k views
Is bribing children with cash incentives a good idea?
I pay my 5.5yo $1 if she sleeps in her own bed and take $1 in rent when she sleeps in our bed.
I've also taken to offering her $1 to pick up her 2.5 year old brother's Lego messes.
Good or bad? ...
45
votes
11answers
2k views
What are some strategies for raising a bilingual child?
We are planning on raising our child bi-lingual. The plan is for my husband to only speak English to her and I would only speak Tagalog (a dialect of the Philippines). I have asked my parents to also ...
42
votes
17answers
3k views
How do you teach a child religious views?
Since a few weeks my 2yo son refuses to pray for his food. His refusal probably has nothing to do with religion; being a 2yo he simply refuses to do anything we don't force him to. Nevertheless, this ...
41
votes
8answers
2k views
Should we circumcise our son?
My wife and I will be having a son in about a month and we are still deciding if we should have him circumcised.
There does not seem to be a strong medical opinion on the matter but we are ...
40
votes
11answers
896 views
Programming with a baby
I'm wondering what parents programmers (or really any working-at-a-computer job) have to say about staying at home with an infant while trying to get some work done; is it at all feasible? How much ...
40
votes
9answers
4k views
How do you cope in the first few months?
How do you cope with the sleeplessness, the stress, the fear in the first few months?
Our baby just came home yesterday. He was five weeks premature, so he was in the NICU for two weeks. The stress ...
37
votes
14answers
2k views
How does one formally educate a gifted child without wrecking childhood?
I have a very bright child (just turned 7), he is not a genius by any stretch, but he reads way past his level (really liked Hatchet, and Call of the Wild), understands somewhat complex mathematics ...
31
votes
13answers
2k views
As an atheist, how should I explain theism to my children?
I have two competing interests here and I'm not entirely sure how to handle this. On one hand I feel that the short answer, to questions about gods, of "some people believe that, but it's not true" is ...
31
votes
11answers
4k views
What is a positive way to handle a boy who acts like a girl?
My 3yo regularly plays and acts like a girl. For example, he likes to take his arm out of one sleeve on his shirt and pretend he's a princess. He loves to dress up in his mom and sister's clothes. He ...
30
votes
9answers
2k views
How do you respond to a toddler who endlessly says “why?”?
My wife and I had joked about expecting endless "why?" questions from our son while we were expecting, and I thought I was prepared for it.
In fact, I thought the stereotypical constant flow of "why? ...
30
votes
10answers
1k views
What are some suggestions for punishing a child?
My daughters are clearly pushing the boundaries lately. They are trying to find out what is possible. I am really looking into ways to setting the boundaries. A friend recently suggested creating a ...
29
votes
28answers
5k views
How can I brush my toddlers' teeth when he won't let me?
My toddler doesn't like to get his teeth brushed. How do I get him to be more cooperative?
He knows it's part of the bedtime routine and doesn't try to avoid it. He will happily grab and hold out his ...
28
votes
5answers
947 views
When your child says something embarrassing in public… how do you deal with it?
So our 3 year old son is both talkative and imaginative, but hasn't necessarily learned all the social decorum that comes with age/experience and social development. There's been a number of ...
28
votes
3answers
720 views
How to prepare children for impending death of a parent?
My wife has been told that she has a limited amount of time left due to an illness, the average life expectancy is 7-8 years after onset, of which we have used up 7. With excellent management, and ...
27
votes
7answers
684 views
Should the nanny quit when the parents don't care about their dangerous children?
I have four weeks left of the worst nannying position of my life. I originally thought the job would be great, three kids that seemed a little naughty but manageable.
The interview went great and ...
27
votes
9answers
1k views
Is there any scientific evidence in favor of co-sleeping with children?
Many people choose to co-sleep with their children because of supposed psychological and sleep quality reasons. Are there any scientific studies or other concrete evidence to back them up?
26
votes
16answers
4k views
Just found out my daughter might be gay. Now what?
I recently came across a photo on my 14 year old daughter's iPod of a letter from a girl friend of hers that expressed her feelings for my daughter. Words like "I do melt in your eyes" and "I can't ...
26
votes
10answers
2k views
At what age should you start giving your children pocket money?
I think pocket money is a great method of educating your children in financing, but at what age should you start and under which condition?
25
votes
9answers
678 views
Reasoning vs “because I say so”
Raising our two-year-old, my wife and I have slightly different views on how to get our child to obey instructions, such as "get in the car seat" and "put on your shirt."
One of us feels that it is ...
25
votes
13answers
985 views
How do you decide if a movie is suitable for young children?
Movies have ratings, which vary a little around the world, but the ratings just don't convey a full understanding of some scenes which may be scary for young children. For example:
Monsters Inc. is ...
24
votes
17answers
2k views
What are some do's and dont's for an effective bedtime ritual?
I think most parents agree that it's helpful to follow some fixed ritual when putting a child to bed.
What elements in such rituals are particularly useful, and what should be avoided?
There are ...
24
votes
7answers
788 views
Is Television appropriate for meal times?
I grew up eating in front of the TV, watching kids programs, while my parents and, much elder, brother watched news or quiz programs in the neighboring room. On Weekends we all ate around the same ...
24
votes
8answers
2k views
How do you tell your child they are terrible at something?
My daughter is playing soccer. She's not bad but she won't practice as hard as she needs to because she has a completely skewed perception of her abilities. She thinks she is really good but she is ...
24
votes
10answers
3k views
How should a stepfather respond to “You are not my Father!”?
So the situation is that I'm not the real father of my son. I call him my son since I love him very much, but he is my girlfriends son from her previous relationship.
I'm afraid though... He does ...
24
votes
7answers
1k views
Is there an alternative to Boy/Girl Scouts in the US?
My son desperately wants to join the Boy Scouts, but I've had to say no due to the local troop's religious agenda.
I've been helping my friend try to come up with ideas for her daughter's new Girl ...
24
votes
8answers
10k views
Why does my infant wake crying the instant we put him in his bed?
This is probably a classic but here goes. Some time between midnight and three my 9 month old will wake crying. Often he is hungry or has gas and can be fairly easily consoled and falls asleep in our ...
23
votes
9answers
1k views
Should I monitor my child's internet usage?
This question was inspired by this one: How do I monitor what my kids do on the computer? which was deemed off topic.
Hopefully this is more on topic as I'm not interested in the specifics of how to ...
23
votes
11answers
918 views
How do you handle bilingual education in a country where you do not speak the language natively?
Our 2 year old son is growing up in a different country (New Zealand) than we did (Brazil).
We try to speak to him in portuguese all times, and we noticed that he is learning english reasonably well ...
23
votes
7answers
8k views
How quickly do I need to change my newborn with a dirty diaper?
How quickly do I need to jump on changing a dirty diaper? What are the downsides of waiting vs getting right to it?
I have two specific scenarios in mind:
I'm holding my son during the day time, ...
23
votes
4answers
2k views
How do I make sure I don't mix up identical twin newborns?
I think all babies look alike, even when they are not identical. I need to come up with a strategy over the next few months.
23
votes
8answers
25k views
How can we discipline a strong-willed, misbehaving 5 year-old?
My 5 year old son receives and fears punishment but repeatedly exhibits the same unacceptable behaviors. He's always been strong-willed, and is usually the kind to view a statement like "Don't do ...
22
votes
10answers
4k views
What are the pros and cons of a chicken-pox party vs immunization?
Growing up in the US, most kids I knew (myself included) were exposed to Chicken Pox through Chicken-Pox parties where kids were allowed to play with a child who already had the Chicken Pox. Now that ...
22
votes
7answers
11k views
How worried should I be about head bumps as my infant learns to get around?
We have hardwood floors in the house, and have made a little "play area" out of foam interlocking "tiles" for our 9 MO to play on. Of course, he's not content to restrict his explorations to the ...
21
votes
9answers
2k views
What are the objective arguments against immunizations for infants and children?
There has been a lot of talk lately about the alleged harmful (potential?) side effects of vaccinations/immunizations for infants and children. What are the objective arguments against immunizing?
21
votes
8answers
2k views
Should 18+ kids still have a tight schema for bed and PC-usage?
I'm not a parent, or in any parenting position.
I am however kind of worried because of some rules in the house. I've been 18 for a few months now. And I still have quite a tight schema for bed and ...
21
votes
9answers
3k views
How can I stop my two year old from taking off his diaper in bed?
Recently, my two-year-old son has been taking off his diaper at nap time. It's usually full and dirty and makes a big mess. He has managed to do it while wearing all types of pants (even overalls). ...
20
votes
13answers
2k views
Are modern cloth diapers really cost efficient compared to disposible diapers?
Are modern cloth diapers such as gDiapers or bumGenius really cost efficient compared to disposible diapers? It seems the diapers themselves are quite expensive and then you have to include the cost ...
20
votes
8answers
2k views
What should I teach my teenager about condoms?
Let me preface the question by saying that I'm not asking this question in order to endorse or promote teenage sex. Even if my child wants to wait until he is married to have sex, as a parent, I still ...
20
votes
7answers
3k views
How do you teach a toddler rhythm and melody?
My 1 year old daughter loves all kinds of music and rhythm. She dances and "plays" enthusiastically on both guitars, the piano and her toy glockenspiel. This has, since she was just four month, always ...
20
votes
7answers
762 views
How long should I wait before I permit my children to have access to caffeine?
From observing teenagers around my neighbourhood, it's obvious that Starbucks, and a few other coffee shops, are standard hangouts for teens. So I assume that once they're in highschool, I won't have ...
20
votes
3answers
450 views
How can an older brother fill the parenting void of an absent father?
Technically, I'm not a parent, but I'm hoping you can help me. My father has recently left and a big void of fatherly like stuff has been left. I am that older son who moved back in and isattempting ...
20
votes
3answers
328 views
How should I talk to my child about death?
How should I explain death to a child under 5-6 years old if a close family member or friend dies?
20
votes
4answers
824 views
How do you handle a teacher that teaches pseudo science?
It is not uncommon, that some teachers or schools introduce pseudo-science, like creationism, as a part of curriculum.
Given that it is hard to change school quickly, how to deal with such situation?
...
19
votes
11answers
14k views
How do I get my 6-month-old to sleep better at night?
So our 6-month-old boy still doesn't sleep through the night. He still wakes up at least once and wants to eat.
He takes 3 naps during the day, ranging from 30 minutes to 1.5 (sometimes 2) hours.
We ...
19
votes
6answers
387 views
How do you find great reading material for a child whose reading ability is far outstripped by his/her comprehension?
I have an 8yo child with CAS (Childhood Apraxia of Speech). Because the first two schools he attended didn't deal well with his CAS, he only really began to read about a year ago. He reads at a ...
19
votes
8answers
983 views
Why do kids always do things which we tell them NOT to do?
This is the kind of behaviour which I have seen in lot of kids including mine (2 year old).
When I tell him NOT to hold a knife, he will make sure he does it. If I tell him not to spill milk on the ...
19
votes
8answers
3k views
Should adults pay rent if they live in their parents' home?
If your grownup children still live at home, should they share cost of living in the common household?
