I am having a hard time communicating with my 12yo. I am worried the communication issue is going to get worse as he gets older and I do want him to know that he can come to me about anything and not constantly feel that he annoys me.
Our almost 6yo is lying, breaking things and running away. I am terrified. What do I do?
Our almost 6yo is incredibly vivacious, social, happy, energetic, independent, constantly moving, demands attention and wants to be first for everything. He runs away in beaches, malls, parks, leaving me screaming at him to stop (he won’t) and then I have to run after him leaving his brother running behind me saying 'I abandoned him'. It’s nuts. I’d rather stay home. Why is this happening and how can we help him trust us and say the truth, listen and not run away?
Mornings are rough with my daughter. How do I help her?
My child seems to be doing things to annoy me on purpose. How do I understand this?
How detailed should the divorce conversation be with children?
The kids were asking me the other day about dad not living in the house and us being separated. I told them the same thing I always say, that we are better people and parents this way. Then they asked who left first. I paused and just said what we had told them originally.
Later, it got me thinking if that was the best approach. I think they blame me for the whole thing so part of me wants to tell them exactly what happened. Is that wise?
Are there any school modifications for my 8yo with ADHD?
I have gone back to work full time and my almost 5yo son is not choosing me. He is only choosing dad. Help!
I recently started to work full time since my son was born and he and I are having difficulties transitioning to the new situation. He is almost 5 years old and this is also the first time he is going full time to school in a new place. He is experiencing a number of changes. He is manifesting his feelings by ignoring me, being disrespectful and not wanting me to put him in bed and read a story to him. Now he only wants his daddy to be with him and not me. I am so sad! What is the right thing to do?
My 10yo daughter is having a hard time making friends in her new class. How can I help her best?
My daughter just started 4th grade.
She is in a class with mostly new peers, only a few kids from her class last year. Her close friends are not in class with her. She is struggling a bit with the transition and feels that she has difficulty making new friends. She has a growing friendship with two girls who are closer and she often feels excluded. One of them actually said yesterday she was the third wheel.
How can I help her?
Should I keep my son in summer camp although he has expressed not wanting to go?
One of my sons is enrolled in an art camp that he thrives in, doing something he loves and is successful at. His final piece for the end of year school art gallery was amazing and I’m pretty amazed at his talent. However, he is telling me he doesn’t want to go to art summer camp. When I ask why he says he needs a break from the school environment, wants to have play dates and do other things over the summer. Should I let him?
How do I speak to my son about body image and is it ok to call him when he's with his dad?
I have two unrelated questions today.
My son has been talking a lot lately about not liking the way he looks. He sometimes looks at the mirror and says he is ugly and the other day he told me girls at school are telling him he is short. I am not sure how to help him.
When he is with dad and I call him, he doesn't seem to want to talk most of the time.
My 7yo and 5yo sons have nasty fights. What is the best way to handle them?
My 7yo and 5yo sons play well most of the time but continue to get into nasty fights over silly things and I see a lot of anger coming from both of them when the other does something annoying.
Should I punish the one that hits by placing them in time-out or taking away a benefit like no tv later etc?
My 3.5yo's anger is big and she's hitting. How do I handle this?
My 3.5 yo daughter is a very determined, assertive leader. Very different from my son. Slowly I’m learning to channel that big girl energy. However, I get really annoyed (maybe even triggered) with her anger. She feels it in her whole body, makes faces, her body gets stiff, etc. Lately she has been hitting us with whatever object or her hand…hard.
My son refuses to practice his piano. How do I help him?
In yesterday's call one of the questions had to do with not wanting to do a piano recital. This also happened to my son recently. The difference here is that from the first time I asked him if he wanted to do the recital he said NO.
I asked why and it was because he felt scared to perform in front of so many people, that he would feel embarrassed.
Another thing that worries me is that he doesn’t like to practice. He just goes to class, which he enjoys, and seems to memorize and remember what they teach him in half an hour once a week without ever practicing.
My 4yo is picking up negative behavior from friends. How can I shift this?
My son is disrupting the class and it's becoming an issue. How do we manage this?
Today my husband got this message from the homework club teacher:
“I'm having difficulties with your son in the homework club. He's very smart, works quickly and is an amazing reader. The issue is that he's loud, silly and constantly distracting the students. The kids in my class have asked me to make him stop talking because they can't focus.”
Would you have advice as to what to say to our son and the teacher?
How do I help my school aged son manage his big feelings?
My son has always been a highly sensitive kid that is highly aware of everything and everyone around him but I have noticed that as he is getting older he keeps looking for more validation from the outside and I really want to help him change this because it is a struggle for him whenever he does not get this.
My almost 5yo daughter is not eating at school. How can I help her?
About a month ago, my almost 5yo daughter had major issues around not going to school and extracurricular refusal. On top of being sick with a cold, she has also started refusing lunch at school (no matter if it's indoor/outdoor).
She is getting more and more upset even when she is asked to sit at the table now.
Do you have some ideas on what we can try to encourage her to eat with friends in school again?
How do I help my tween son channel/ work through his emotions in the healthiest way possible?
I have a question about my tween and anxiety. I have noticed that my son bites his nails and fidgets with something in his hand, and now I’ve noticed he bites the side of his mouth. I think it is increased anxiety from an increase in school work/ expectations/ longer days in school.
What is the best course of action to take?
What type of responsibilities should a soon to be 8 year old have?
Is it ok to allow my daughter to call her friends after she's done with homework?
During weekdays, if my daughter is done with all of her schoolwork, is it appropriate to allow her to call her friends?
Part of me wants to say yes, she has earned the social time. But part of me wants to say no, as sometimes I feel like she rushes through homework or practicing piano just to get to the call. And perhaps the time at home is an opportunity to work on other things, since she got social time during the school day… Or has she?