Parenting

My 5yo son doesn't want to go to martial arts class anymore. What is the right way to handle this?

My 5yo son participates 3 times a week in after school activities such as sports and martial arts . The rest of the week and weekend he does not have anything because I want him to have free time and be with us. When I first enrolled him in soccer he hated it and never wanted to go but I took him anyway and encouraged him to play and now he likes it very much. With martial arts, at the beginning he loved it but now he does not because he said he gets hurt.

My 5yo is repeating bad words. Help!

My 5yo has learned some bad words from older kids but the other day my husband got frustrated with a project he was doing and he said some bad words and my son and I who were downstairs were able to hear them all.
My son was laughing so I told him that his daddy was frustrated and was using words that are not proper to use because he forgot how to breath and calm himself ( I did not know what else to say). How do I handle this?

How should I react when I have not witnessed a fight between mu children?

I wanted to ask you how I should react when I am not in the room and one of my boys (4.5 and 7) comes to me (sometimes crying, not always) saying that his brother hurt him or did something to one of his toys? It feels tricky because I didn’t see exactly what happened, but if I don’t do or say the right thing then it is bound to happen again.

How should I handle when one of the kids gets more of something than the other?

How should I handle when one of the kids gets more of something than the other? One of my sons gets jealous and asks his brother to give him more so that they have the same amount or the same stuff. Also how to handle my son not being nice to another kid in school?

Should I switch middle schools for my children or keep them where they know?

My girls have the option of staying put for middle school or going to South Miami Middle. Their current school is very small and is limited in their offering-plus they will be in the same class and there is only one 6th grade class. As you know they do not get along but it's a bubble and I know all of the teachers, parents etc. Do I keep them in the bubble or let them be exposed to the good and the bad a big middle school has to offer??

How do I handle one child feeling left out when I am with the other?

My kids are always comparing what we do for them. I try to be as fair as I can but given their ages (4 and 7) they will  never get the exact same things.  I have tried to explain that to them, but they probably can’t see that because they keep complaining/ comparing.  Any thoughts on how I should handle that? 

What are the academic benchmarks for Kindergarten?

What are the academic benchmarks for Kindergarten?
For example, should my son be able to read new 3 or 4 letter words with ease and no hesitation by the end of the school year? 
What should I look out for?
Is there an article/video/podcast I could listen to to educate myself on this?

Our 3.5yo daughter pretends she's a cat or dog. Is this normal?

Our 3.5yo daughter pretends she's a cat or dog.
She gets on the floor and acts like a cat meowing or dog barking for a good amount of time. She will literally bark at me instead of speaking. She does it at home, activities, and school. I know pretend play is important but how do I know if it’s too much?

My 5yo sons coach yells at him and I am not comfortable with that. Should I say something?

I am concerned about my son's experience in his martial arts class. He is 5 years old and just recently joined the class but one of the teachers often yells at him which has caused my son to lose motivation. I do not want to sound like an overprotective mom but I do not feel comfortable with that teacher even if they tell me that all sports require teachers like that.

How can I best handle my son's push back and resistance?

My son is resisting so much. I think we are doing a good job of understanding that this is not him calculating this but it’s an override in his brain, and are working hard to offer an option for him so it feels less like a demand and more autonomous but we are still met with a kiddo that simply WILL NOT. He just can’t seem to redirect away from his idea even if I give options of now or in 5 minutes or similar. What to do? Let him play with dirty teeth in his PJ’s all day?

My 4yo son tends to create elaborate and detailed fictional accounts.  Is this normal?

My 4yo son tends to create detailed fictional accounts.  On the one hand I feel amazed with his creativity, but I also worry that he seems to get too immersed in these stories that I wonder if he distinguishes fact from fiction. What do you make of what he is doing and how should I react to it?

I am having a hard time communicating with my 6yo son. Help!

I am having a very hard time with my 6yo son. As soon as he sees me he looks disappointed, gets angry with me, talks to me in a bad manner, starts acting up, and doing things that he knows he is not supposed to do. His brother tells me that he doesn’t do that with dad and at his house he does what he is told. I have had a lot of stress at work and with personal matters so I struggle sometimes to stay in the moment and be as fun as dad is. I try to talk to him and have patience but it gets to a point where I explode because he is just not listening to me and keeps escalating the situation. I tell him to stop several times, his brother does too and he keeps going.
Please remind me when he talks to me in a mad manner or screams at me what is the best way to handle.

 Is there a challenging developmental transition that some kids go through around 3-4? 

s there a challenging developmental transition that some kids go through around 3-4?  My son, who is 4, has been a relatively easy child, but it seems that tantrums have picked up over the last few months.  I think by this age many kids are starting to move on from toddler tantrums, but it feels harder for us now. Interested in your thoughts and any pointers on how to navigate this period. 

My 21mo has trouble eating in one place. How can I guide her into healthy meal habits?

We've noticed that our 21mo has trouble staying in the same place for the duration of her meal. I know it's developmentally appropriate for her to want to get up and move around every few minutes. We've also really struggled with solids (she just started eating more than a couple of spoonfuls).
Should we let her eat her meals in different places?

My 6th grader was called out for unwanted behavior at school. How do I handle this?

I received a call from my daughter’s school reporting that she kept touching another girl's hair during PE. My daughter is in 6th grade in a new school. According to the school it was happening frequently and the girl asked my daughter to stop and she didn’t. They talked to both girls and their parents. My daughter cried and explained to them she was not being malicious and that she was just playing. How do I help her through this?

My 5yo has zero impulse control and can be aggressive. How can I help them?

I would love to get your input regarding some behavior of my almost 5 year old boy. He can be very physically aggressive when playing and is showing no impulse control at all. The tantrums can be a lot. I need guidence.

How can I help my 5yo son make new friends?

I want to know how I can help my 5yo son make new friends without my help.
He is very social but he is very attached to his current friends so if he is in the park and there is no one he knows then he sits next to me and does not want to play at all.
How can I help him be more out going?