I hear many teenagers tell me, “My parents only care about ________(fill in the blank with “my grades”, “not embarrassing them”, “keeping my room clean”, etc.). They don’t care about ME.” What do they mean their parents don’t care about them?? I bet their parents would die for them. Yet that message doesn’t get across [...]
A parent asked me, “I’ve told my kids to do their homework when they first come home from school. But they just won’t do it, and end up finishing late. What can I do?” The parent’s thinking is to get homework out of way first, and that is a good study habit. This makes sense…only [...]
A reader asked, “I would LOVE to hear some tips on how to get the kids to do their chores. You know, without making me turn into the Wicked Witch of the West???” This is one of the most common question I get asked by parents. First, we all know that mothers are known to [...]
We parents talk too much. I suppose it comes naturally to us to talk too much. When we tell our kids “NO” to having a cookie right before dinner and they begin to whine, we feel compelled to explain to them why they can’t have a cookie. When they continue to whine, we escalate our volume [...]
A reader asks, “How do I stop my toddler from whining?” Honestly, even adults whine! I get whiny when I don’t get what I want. “I want a new kitchen…I want a vacation…I want to eat out every night…” I whine when I can’t control the circumstances in my favor and get what I want. [...]
My family had a great time at the Los Angeles County Fair this past weekend. At the “Bark Park” the stunt dogs performed a number cute tricks. For one of the tricks, two small children were asked to be volunteer helpers. Usually kids love that sort of thing. However, one of them, a little 4-year-old [...]
I believe it was Gary Smalley who taught that everyone has an emotional tank. We function at our best when our emotional tank is full. Here’s how it works. When an emotional need is met, our tank gets a “deposit.” It fills up a bit. A hug, an affirming word, a listening ear, laughter, good [...]
While we were at the cemetery paying tribute at my mother’s grave site (it’s been 9 years since her passing, I miss her), my 8-year-old nephew started running around with no apparent aim. His mother and I looked at each other. “Where is he going?” We nodded with mutual understanding: It doesn’t matter where he’s [...]
Are you fighting and arguing with your kids to go to sleep at bedtime? When we took our puppy to Puppy Obedience School, all us new dog owners had the same questions: How can I get my puppy to behave? How do I get my puppy not to chew? How can I make him stop [...]
This is the 6th and last article on Effective Discipline I heard on the radio of a dad telling the story of his 6 perfectly behaved children . He trained them properly alright. But as his children got older, he realized they were behaving out of fear and guilt. They did not dare disobey their [...]
This is the fifth article in the series on Effective Discipline What every parent wants to know is how to get their children to do what you tell them to do. Although getting your kids to obey is certainly a part of parenting, the last 4 posts in this series on discipline explained that parenting [...]
This is the fourth article in the series on Discipline. There are many methods we can use to enforce rules and encourage good behavior. Before we go into those, there are 5 Principles of Discipline that should be applied to any system you choose to use. Whether we are dealing with young children or teens, [...]
This is the third article in the series on discipline. This one deals with younger children. Disciplining older children will be the topic of the next article in this series. In approaching the subject of discipline, our idea is to think of what to do when a child misbehaves. But the best defense is a [...]
This is the second article in the series on Discipline. Honestly, no one likes to be disciplined, isn’t that right? Whether you are an adult being disciplined by the law or by your boss, or you are a child disciplined by a teacher or by a parent, it’s definitely no fun.
This is the first article in a series on Discipline Dr. Laura was asked a question by a mother about the proper method of disciplining her son to behave well when they go to the market. Her response I thought was right on. Dr. Laura said, “It’s not always about discipline.” Children do not behave [...]
