My overly curious, smart, and big feeling 4-yr-old is connecting the dots too quickly (beyond what I think others would consider “age appropriate” contemplations or discussions) on mortality.
A combination of factors seem to be creating a heartbreaking realization in him that every once in a while, always in the still cuddle moments before bed, have him asking questions (with voice breaking, bottom lip quivering, and eyes swelling with tears) like:
“Mom, can we be together forever?”
“Can we ask God to please let us live on Earth together forever?”
“Is one of us going to go to Heaven before the other one does?”
How do I prepare my child for a new school tour and testing for placement?
My child will need to go and tour a new school and test there with their intervention specialist for placement. I am very worried about how to navigate this. We will have to tell him we will be leaving the city we have been living in which means new house, new school, new dojo, new friends. That alone will be so much and then testing at a school? He does not do well under this type of scrutiny so how do I break this news to him and prepare him for this testing meet/greet?
My 6yo son is showing signs of anxiety in addition to having ADHD. Help!
My 6 year old son seems to have some anxiety lately. We were at a party and I gave my children a 5 minute warning that we were leaving. Afterwards, they begged for 5 more minutes, and I told them fine, but not to ask again because we would in fact leave after the next 5 minutes. After the next 5 minutes, I found his cousin and brother playing and told them it was time to leave. I couldn’t find my son though. Then, I did. He was curled up in a ball in the living room crying saying that he couldn’t find anything to do in the 5 minutes.
How do I prepare my child for an injection?
Since my daughter leans on anxious, when we got her 1st COVID shot I waited until we were in the Dr's office to tell her she was getting the shot. She handled it well but said it hurt so much and that she was "NEVER EVER" doing it again. Her 2nd shot is this afternoon. I am thinking of handling it the same way because if I tell her in advance she will freak out and be so anxious about it. I am just trying to manage her anxiety about it. Thoughts?
My 6yo is very sensitive to sounds. How can I help him manage through big noises?
Our 6 year old is really afraid of school fire drills. He knows which day the fire drills take place and he takes noise canceling headphones that he can put on while it’s going on but it’s that initial alarm noise that really scares him. This morning he locked himself in the bathroom because he didn’t want to go to school because it’s fire drill day. What are some techniques we can try or things we can communicate to the school to make this less scary for him? He has never liked sudden loud noises.
My boys use potty words and laugh about their privates. How can I teach them about safety?
Potty language perpetuates. Even though I repeat/remind and carve out time where my son can get it out, he continues to use this language around his two year old brother. I don’t know how to stop this. He will say one word and and his little brother will grab onto that and repeat it over and over and there’s just no stopping this. I am also noticing that when one of them is naked this also becomes a big deal and they giggle, say whatever word has got them going and then try touching each other. I’m really struggling with this as I don’t know what is normative vs sending the wrong message around body safety.
My daughter's anger is intense. How do I help her through big feelings?
When my daughter gets mad she goes from 0 to 60 and gets so big saying, “I hate this person”, “they are so stupid”, “I never want to see them again”, “go home” and will say it loud and repeatedly. What else can I do in the moment to help her not say things that make the whole thing worse or do I just embrace the tantrum in totality?
My 2yo loves taking their clothes off and has started using unkind words.
About 1 month ago, she started to take off her clothes and diapers all of a sudden. She would sometimes announce "ugh, hot" and then just take off everything she has on. She has also started to say really strong words, like "hate", "stupid", "ew, gross", "bad baby". I tried to model other choices of words for her and tell her that "hate" for example is not a nice word - but does she understand? How do we teach her?
My 5yo is grieving her grandmother, how can I help her?
My 5yo daughter lost her grandmother to cancer. It was a hard hit on her. They had a very special connection. After 5 months now, she still says (pretty much every day if not at least twice a week) , that she is sad and that she misses her so much. It is usually in her quiet moments that she talks about her and asks us very creative questions/ideas to bring her back. For instance, today she asked us if we could get into a rocket ship to reach the stars and bring her back. Not sure if all those questions/ideas are part of her grieving or if I need to get some help for her. How long might this grieving last? It is heartbreaking to watch this. Please advise!
How do I get my child back to sleeping in her bed after multiple disruptions in routine?
We have talked about going back to their own beds like before and one of my daughters says she will do it but the other says she is not ready. My daughter, who said she will do it, doesn't want to sleep alone (without me or her sister) so we end up all sleeping together. How do I get my daughter who said she was not ready to go back to falling asleep in her own bed? I have never been strict about them coming into bed with us but just wondering how to go about getting her back into the old routine......thank you!!
My 5yo is using bad words when he's excited. What do I do?!
I’ve noticed lately that when my 5yo son gets super excited he starts saying bad words.
It’s super new and super random but the other day he even said “I’m so f**king excited”.
He’s not doing it to get a laugh, I can tell he’s super over excited and he can’t control himself. With that being said, me muero de la vergüenza (I die of embarrassment) and I don’t want him talking like that. Whatttttt do I do?!
My 5yo has been using mean words. How can I manage this?
I’ve noticed that my 5yo son is starting to use meaner and stronger words in his vocabulary. “I hate this”, “don’t ever talk to me again’, ”you’re the worst mom”.
I know it’s when he’s frustrated and he immediately apologizes but it’s very new and very hurtful. Again, I don’t know how to address it (or ignore it) so that he not only stops, but realizes that words have consequences (in that they can hurt people).
My son has a potty accident every day at school. What can we do?
He has had a potty accident at school every day. He is terrified of someone hearing him or seeing him ask to go to the bathroom so instead he just pees himself and then tries to carry on. We have tried to problem solve this with him. He has extra clothes, a special hand signal from his teacher as a reminder but still he is paralyzed with fear. He has also been very rigid, anxious and combative with his teacher and disruptive in the class. He refuses to participate in lessons. Today he was separated from the group after throwing an object at her.
What else can we do?
How do I know if my child is ready for school AND which school is right for them?
My son is getting ready to enter PK 3 and I feel a little anxious about the whole school choosing situation Is it too soon for him to be in school?
Should I wait until he is at least four?
How can I be sure the school environment is supportive and kind ?
These are some of the questions I pondered as I decide which is the right school .
How to best discipline my defiant little one?
ur little strong willed daughter is really giving us a run for our money. She refuses to get dressed, going potty, brushing teeth, eating breakfast. I just feel overwhelmed and discouraged and I know it is normal at this age, but I feel defeated.
My husband is battling the gentle parenting approach and thinks she needs firmer and negative consequences and I disagree. I don’t know what to do.