John's Articles
Why Hanna Sleeps With Us
Posted on 5/9/2023
My wife, Willie (nee Wilma), and I are the happy caretakers of a happy seventeen-month-old pure white toy schnauzer, Hanna. Hanna occupies the center of our attention. If you spent a day in our...
Read MoreDon't Turn Little Issues Into Big Problems
Posted on 4/11/2023
Q: My almost-3-year-old, when I begin to do something, will yell, “I WILL DO IT!” When it’s something he can do, fine, but if it’s not, then I just say, “No, Mommy will do it” and that’s the end...
Read MoreStarting Toilet Training Early Pays Off
Posted on 12/27/2022
Q: My grandmother maintains that her children – my mother and her two siblings, all born in the 1950s – were completely toilet trained at 18 months. Her terse explanation: “I just gave...
Read MoreIf Bedtime Routine Invites Trouble, Shorten It
Posted on 7/12/2022
Q: We have a 3.5-year-old and each night we have a routine that we go through with her--bath, pajamas, brush, choose two books and read them, sing a couple of songs, and pray before lights out....
Read MoreOn Chores, Discipline, Potty-Training
Posted on 3/29/2022
Q: When I give my 5-year-old daughter a chore, she does it, but all the while she is muttering under her breath, huffing and puffing, and so on. Do I discipline that behavior or just let her...
Read MorePatience With Young Daughter’s Questions Will Pay Off
Posted on 3/1/2022
Q: I’m concerned that my 3-year-old – she’s nearly 4 – daughter has some sort of language issue. For example, even though my brother’s family moved away nearly two years ago, whenever we drive by...
Read MoreIn Defense of ‘Because I Said So'
Posted on 2/1/2022
Q: Concerning chores, another expert recommends giving a child a certain number of chips, like poker chips, every month and if he or she fails to do a chore or doesn’t do it properly, you take a...
Read MoreAvoid Telling Young Kids About Existential Threats
Posted on 1/18/2022
Q: My 3-year-old is fearful of trying anything new, including things that other kids his age love to do such as swinging on a swing, sliding down a slide, and splashing in a pool. I feel like I...
Read MoreThe Keys to Relatively Quick, Painless Toilet Training
Posted on 1/12/2022
Q: I recently tried toilet training my 32-month-old, but after a few days of no success, I decided to stop. A friend tells me to hang in there, but my pediatrician says my son isn’t ready. She...
Read MoreIs This Battle Worth It?
Posted on 12/29/2021
Q: I have six-month- and thirty-two-month-old boys. The older one—well-mannered, easy going, very affectionate—attends a preschool program three mornings a week. This is his second year there. ...
Read MoreEar Infections and Misbehavior; Boundaries for Boys
Posted on 3/23/2021
Q: My three-year-old is prone to ear infections. When he has one, his behavior deteriorates considerably. He becomes disobedient and given to angry outbursts. When his ears are clear, he’s...
Read MoreAdvice for Preschool Teachers
Posted on 1/5/2021
Q: I teach 3- and 4-year-olds in a childcare center in Australia. I always have a few difficult children in any group and the book in which you describe Alpha Speech [The Well-Behaved Child] has...
Read MoreHow to Prevent the Terrible Twos From Becoming the Terrifying Threes
Posted on 7/21/2020
One of my books, “Making the ‘Terrible’ Twos Terrific!”, has recently become a best-seller in China, of all places. Seriously! What sorts of problems are Chinese parents having with their...
Read MoreSome Benchmarks on Toilet Training
Posted on 6/9/2020
“There’s no one-size-fits-all model of childrearing for all the world’s parents,” opines Alma Gottlieb, Professor Emerita of Anthropology at the University of Illinois. Gottlieb was quoted in an...
Read MoreWhat to Do About an Aggressive 3-Year-Old
Posted on 4/21/2020
Q: My three-year-old son tends to react physically when he's mad at a preschool classmate instead of talking it out and letting the teachers intervene. We have encouraged him to use words when...
Read MoreWhen It Comes to Phases, Don't Make Mountains out of Molehills
Posted on 2/25/2020
Q: Our daughter, our first and only, is just short of three-and-one-half. She has recently started coming into our room in the middle of the night and making a request of one sort or another. She...
Read MoreAuthoritative Attitude Is Key to Discipline
Posted on 5/2/2018
Q: We are having no success getting our 3-year-old (her third birthday is in a couple of weeks) to do what we tell her to do. She defies us at every opportunity, whether it’s just ignoring us or...
Read MoreRescue Yourself and Your Child With Bedtime Routine
Posted on 5/11/2016
Q: My daughter, who just turned three, has a surge of energy after dinner and can take hours to fall asleep. I try putting her down around 8 o’clock, but there are nights when she doesn’t fall...
Read MoreOccasional Tantrums Don't Indicate Bipolar Disorder
Posted on 1/27/2016
Q: Our 3-year-old son is very sweet, loving, and generally well-behaved. Occasionally, however, he breaks into a huge tantrum during which he becomes uncontrollable. The word “possessed” comes to...
Read More3-year-old Preschool Issues
Posted on 11/10/2015
Copyright 2015, John K. Rosemond Q: My just-turned 3-year-old daughter has started biting other children in her preschool program. I put her in for three mornings a week thinking she...
Read More3 year-old Tantrums
Posted on 9/8/2015
Copyright 2015, John K. Rosemond Q: Our first, a girl, just turned three and has suddenly started throwing tantrums. She can begin a tantrum when she’s alone in her room if something...
Read MoreNewly Academic Nature of Most Preschools
Posted on 11/25/2014
Courtesy of my friend and parent coach Janet Carter (www.ourchildishways.com), comes an interesting story: The parents of a 4-year-old girl went to a preschool parent conference to...
Read More"The Doctor" Makes House Calls
Posted on 4/28/2014
Shortly after I finished graduate school, a friend of mine shared with me a book called Indirect Hypnosis, written by Milton Erickson, a most unorthodox psychiatrist if ever there was one....
Read MoreWho cleans up?
Posted on 2/4/2014
Q: I have 3 kids ages 8, 6, and 4. I need help solving the "pick up the playroom" dilemma. When an area in which they've been playing needs to be picked up and straightened, the 8-year-old always...
Read MoreToddlers in Restaurants?
Posted on 6/25/2013
Q: Help! We find it almost impossible to finish a restaurant meal when our 18-month-old twins are along, which is always. We give them toys to keep them busy, and they do well for about 30 minutes...
Read MoreAuthority
Posted on 5/28/2013
Q: My 3-year-old started preschool 3 days a week (private sitter other two days) about 2 months ago. He did great. However, this week he began being defiant, not following directions then kicked,...
Read More3 Year Old has bedtime problems
Posted on 1/22/2013
Q: For the past several weeks, our just-turned 3-year-old has been waking up and coming into our room at all hours of the night with the usual excuses. He's scared, hungry, thirsty, lonely, can't...
Read MoreBoys goofing around
Posted on 1/1/2013
Q: Our son is in Kindergarten at a small private school. Most of the children in his class are boys. From the beginning, he's been somewhat of a behavior problem. Each time we get a notice from...
Read MoreKindergarten Behavior
Posted on 12/18/2012
Q: Our son started full-day kindergarten in September. For the first three months he had no problem with his behavior at school, but for the past few weeks he has gotten in trouble for talking,...
Read MoreChores: Start Early
Posted on 8/21/2012
Q: I know you think children as young as 3 should be doing chores around the home. That seems awfully young, but can you recommend several age-appropriate chores I can try with my 3-and-one-half...
Read More3-Year-Old Boys Bedtime Issues
Posted on 10/18/2011
How to quiet down boys' bedtime antics Q: My twin boys will be 3 next month. They sleep in the same room. They've recently taken to getting out of their beds (together, although one seems to be...
Read More3-Year-Old Boy Regressing After Birth of Second Child
Posted on 9/6/2011
Show your natural authority Q: I gave birth to our second child a few weeks ago, so I'm sleep-deprived and running low on patience. In the meantime, my 3-year-old son has become another person....
Read More3-Year-Old Girl Biting Brother
Posted on 8/30/2011
What to do when a toddler bites a sibling Q. Our 36-month-old daughter has started biting her 22-month-old brother, usually over toys. My husband says I should put her in her room until he gets...
Read More3-Year-Old Boy Being Raised by Grandparents
Posted on 8/16/2011
Q. My 3-year-old grandson lives with his grandmother and me. He sees and speaks to his mother on the phone only occasionally. His birth father has never been in the picture. In fact, we don't know...
Read MoreTelling 3 YO about real parents
Posted on 8/15/2011
Q: My 3-year-old grandson lives with his grandmother and me. He calls me "Poppa" and his grandmother "Nanna." He sees and speaks to his mother on the phone only occasionally. His birth-father...
Read More3-Year-Old Girl Missing Dad
Posted on 8/2/2011
Tot's distress isn't about missing dad Q. My daughter will be 3 years old soon. Her father was primary caretaker until she was around 20 months, then he left and she hasn't seen him since. I...
Read More3-Year-Old Girl Tantrums
Posted on 7/26/2011
Q. My 3-year-old's tantrums are becoming worse. She is also becoming "passive-aggressive" (whining, arching her back on the floor, refusing to stand or talk) when things don't go her way. When...
Read MorePassive-aggressive Three Year Old
Posted on 7/25/2011
Q: My 3-year-old's tantrums are becoming worse. She is also becoming "passive-aggressive" (whining, arching her back on the floor, refusing to stand or talk) when things don't go her way. When...
Read More3-Year-Old Girl Disruptive Behavior
Posted on 6/28/2011
Discipline bad behavior - don't psychoanalyze it Q. About a year ago, my husband and I underwent a major move with our 3-year-old. Six months later, I gave birth to twins. Needless to say, our...
Read More4-Year-Old Boy Not Socializing with Other Children
Posted on 5/31/2011
Boy doesn't like playing with unfamiliar children Q. My son will be 4 years old in a couple of months. He is having problems playing and relating to groups of kids in social situations. For...
Read MoreMeal Time Circus
Posted on 2/8/2011
Don't let kids run family food circus I must, in the interest of full disclosure, begin this column with a confession: I am a voyeur; more specifically, a parenting voyeur. In the words of...
Read MorePreschool Education Programs
Posted on 10/12/2010
Preschool without shame? What a pity The National Association for the Education of Young Children and I don't see eye to eye on many things - maybe anything. We don't even agree on a definition...
Read More3-Year-Old Son Social Development
Posted on 7/20/2010
Lack of playmates worries mom Q: My 3-year- old son has been at home with me since day one. I'm worried about his social development. He loves being around other children his age, but that...
Read More3-Year-Old Hospital Stay
Posted on 5/18/2010
A child's hospital stay Q: My daughter, who is going to turn 3 next month, is going to have her tonsils and adenoids out in a few weeks. Because she is so young, they are admitting her to the...
Read More3-Year-Old Boy Does Not Like Play Group
Posted on 4/13/2010
Skip the play group Q: When our play group meets at a home other than our own, my nearly 3-year-old wants to leave within 30 minutes. When I try to persuade him to stay, he becomes very...
Read More3-Year-Old Boy Disrespectful Actions
Posted on 3/30/2010
Don't overreact to toddler's actions Defiant words don't signal problem, unless parent turns it into one. Q. My almost-3-year-old has started saying things to me that border on...
Read More34-Month-Old Girl Controlling the Family
Posted on 3/9/2010
Toddler always wants her way Q: Our 34-month-old daughter is trying to control everyone else in the family, especially us. When things don't go her way, the result is an instantaneous and...
Read More3-Year-Old Girl's Messy Room
Posted on 10/13/2009
A QUIET RIOT? HOW TO RECTIFY IT Q. Our 3-year-old daughter makes a complete mess of her room whenever we confine her there for misbehavior. She has very few accessible toys, but will take books...
Read MoreToilet Training: Just Do It
Posted on 4/28/2009
THIS GENERATION'S WAYS OF POTTY TRAINING HAS GOTTA GO What's it going to take for American parents to realize that just as it's far easier to house-train a 4-month-old puppy than a 1-year-old...
Read More3-Year-Old Girl Not Wearing Clothes
Posted on 1/20/2009
CALL ON 'THE DOCTOR' TO GET A TODDLER TO WEAR CLOTHES I never cease to be amazed at how easy it is to solve potentially large behavior problems with just a little imagination. Case in point: a...
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