One of the most difficult challenges we can face as a parent is to help our child develop the appropriate social skills necessary to deal with a bully. Let’s face it. We all have to learn how to interact with others in a complex variety of relationships and settings. We begin to acquire these skills […]
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Safety is a topic high on every parent’s priority list. We all worry about the safety of our children in an uncertain world where danger lurks around every corner and we may feel inadequate to provide them with the necessary training for self defense. The question is how can I help my child to develop […]
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Bullying is a complex event. Since my undergraduate work was in sociology, I usually look at systems when dealing with problem-solving. So it was only natural that my examination of the bullying problem focuses on system failures rather than the action of the individual bully. It is important for us all to understand that if […]
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There are a host of issues that can be addressed under the topic of date safety. I want to address one way that parents can deal with a child who finds him/herself in a bad place, possibly already in trouble, with the possibility of even worse things to happen. This could be a son or […]
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Do you worry that your child might be saying “yes” when he or she should be saying “no?” A child needs tremendous strength and good character to avoid the dangers and temptations that young people encounter in today’s society. If you suspect your child is in with the wrong crowd, don’t wait until it is […]
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Learning how to get along with other people, developing what we call social skills, is necessary in order to become a functioning member of a family, a peer group or a classroom. This involves a process of trial and error that teaches our children to distinguish between self and others and to become aware of […]
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Here’s a common mistake that teachers and parents make in their desire to help children do their very best: they offer “constructive criticism” right from the very beginning. This can make children feel they’re being criticized before anything else. However, if children hear praise first, they are much more willing to keep improving. We train […]
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Does your kid ever act-out in public? Does he or she have a special need, learning disability, or developmental disability? Young children with communications barriers, like autism or a hearing impairment, may act-out to communicate an unmet need. When a child can’t simply tell us verbally that they are tired, cold, hungry, scared, bored or […]
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Children who are quiet and unassertive find it difficult to interact with both peers and adults. They can find themselves overlooked in both school and social settings. To “break out of their shells,” they must learn to build friendships and gain leadership skills – both essential qualities for personal development. If your child is shy, […]
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Is your child hesitant to try new things? Children can view new experiences as exciting challenges – or as insurmountable barriers. It’s all in the attitude. The fear of failure is a powerful deterrent to trying new things and gaining new skills. It contributes to feelings of low self-esteem. It is a negative barrier that […]
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What does it mean to grow strong character? In general, the term character, as applied to a person, is represented by the values and qualities that make us who we are, that shape our attitudes and behaviors. So, when we say that someone has a strong character, we mean that they are demonstrating some combination […]
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If you have watched my video on How to Discipline and Correct Others, you know that effective discipline relies on a bottom-line principle: Use Your Language Disinterestedly! Disinterest means ‘without bias, open, flexible and neutral in tone or attitude.’ When you are angry at what your child did and you wish to discipline s/he in some […]
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