Time management is often a topic of discussion within my office, as well as, a source of conflict within many family homes. Upon first hearing about time management concerns, my response is typically to help families create predictable routines during moments when time becomes an issue, such as rushing around in the morning, getting to … Read more
Recent data indicates that more and more parents are facing the dilemmas that come from having adult children living with them. Whether your college age child is home for the summer, your recent college grad is back at home “temporarily,” or your adult child never left home, this living arrangement can be challenging for everyone … Read more
As parents, we strive to do the right things for our kids. Unfortunately, many of the things we do in an effort to meet their needs actually work against the real goal of parenting, which is to create an environment in which children can grow into motivated, mature, and independent human beings. Below are a … Read more
I recently read an interesting article in The New York Times about raising a moral child. The article, “Raising a Moral Child,” was written by Adam Grant, a professor of management and psychology at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success.” The … Read more
Acknowledging your child’s positive behavior is the best way to keep that behavior going. Creating and keeping a behavior chart (a.k.a., “sticker chart” or “reward chart”) helps everyone in the family take the time to stop and recognize when the child is doing something right. Behavior charts also give the child clear goals, so that … Read more
So, here we are at the beginning of a new school year. We all have that fantasy – this year, we will happily wave goodbye each morning as our stress-free, on-time children leave for the bus stop (or on their bikes, or on foot, or in their carpool). Unfortunately, reality does not often match up. … Read more
All too often parents question and seek a better understanding of why their children act or react in ways that are often labeled as “challenging” or “misbehavior.” The frustrating thing is that there is no single answer to this question. In fact, various influencing factors can contribute to how children respond to certain situations. In … Read more
In our romantic ideals, loving relationships are pictured as islands of peace, harmony, and joy, sheltering the couple from the hazards of the outside world. But anyone who has been in a long-term relationship knows this is far from the truth. The hard fact is: couples disagree – sometimes rarely, sometimes often. Whether or not … Read more
As parents, most of us have been witness to our children “melting down.” Whether your child is a toddler, a preschooler, school age, or even an adolescent, there are times when your normally relatively reasonable offspring seems to become someone else all together. Often this happens when children are tired and/or hungry, though sometimes these … Read more
Children with attention deficits don’t respond to traditional parenting strategies (including punishment and rewards) the same way as do children without the condition. This occurs because they don’t seem to learn from their mistakes, avoid behaviors because of punishment, or are motivated by rewards as easily as other children. As such, parents often second guess … Read more
