Question: You mentioned family meetings as an approach to dealing with a strong-willed child, but indicated that it works for children 4 and older. What about a strong-willed 3-yr-old who absolutely has to have everything her own way and goes completely ballistic if we don’t do exactly what she expects? Answer: There are many factors […]
Articles
Parenting Preschoolers
b111-4th-edition.jpg An excerpt from the book, Positive Discipline for Preschoolers. Understanding your preschooler’s development and filling your toolbox with Positive Discipline parenting tools will go a long way toward resolving conflicts with your young child. It also helps to know that temperament, birth order, brain development, physical and intellectual abilities, and skill acquisition underlie much […]
Biting, Pinching and Scratching
Question: I am a stay at home mom of two children. I have a 18-month-old son and a 3-year-old daughter who are very stubborn and throw tantrums when they don’t get their way. One thing that really upsets me is that my son scratches and bites other children. My friend visited us with her 1 […]
Disrespectful Teen
Question: We are at our wits end trying to discipline our 13-yr. old son. He is VERY disrespectful…(the more I do for him – the more he disrespects us). We thought we were disciplining him the “right way” – but no – its not working. He has gone weeks w/o the things he enjoys the […]
Boredom
child_computer.jpg Question: My child complains about being bored and expects me to drop everything to entertain him. What do you suggest? Answer: From the Book Positive Discipline A-Z Understanding Your Child, Yourself, and the Situation We live in a society where children are used to being entertained. Television and electronic games are major contributors to […]
Help! My Child is Stealing!
Question: child-stealing.jpg First, let me say that your book Positive Discipline has been immensely helpful. I read it when my son was five (he’s ten now) and I buy a copy for all the new parents I know ( along with the “Read-Aloud Handbook” by Jim Trelease). So thank for writing the book! My son […]
Temper Tantrums Have Returned in My 4-year-old
Question: My daughter is 4 1/2. This past week or two her behavior has not been very good. She has starting having MAJOR temper tantrums. For example, we will go to get dressed and I will say it is cold today, pick out what pants you want to wear, and she will say NO I […]
Disrespectful Behavior
When a child is disrespectful to teachers or classmates, the first source to consider is the behavior of the adults in this child’s life. Children who aren’t treated with respect have no model for respectful behavior. Joe’s parents call each other names, belittle Joe, and sneer when he objects to anything. When Joe behaves similarly […]
Lying
Question: “I don’t know how to get my child to stop lying. We have tried very hard to teach high moral standards. The more I punish him, the more he lies. I’m really worried.” Answer: (An excerpt from the book Positive Discipline A-Z) Understanding Yourself, the Situation, and Why Children Lie We have searched and […]
When Parents Lose It
stressedmom.jpg Have you ever “lost it” with you kids? My guess is that most people will answer, “Yes,” to this question. The next question is, “Then what did you do?”. Did you feel guilty and beat up on yourself. Or did you rejoice because you just provided your children with a model of learning from […]