John's Articles
It All Begins With the Terrible Twos
Posted on 4/3/2024
In one of my alter-egos, I’m a songwriter. I began writing songs during my seven-year tenure as the lead singer in a rock ‘n’ roll band while in college and graduate school and I’ve been writing...
Read MoreThe Dark Triad Must Not Stand!
Posted on 3/27/2024
In 2002, two psychologists formulated the concept of the “Dark Triad,” referring to three toxic personality types: narcissistic, Machiavellian, and psychopathic. As usual, psychologists make...
Read MoreWhy 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 MoreIs It Okay for a Toddler to Play With His Food?
Posted on 3/28/2023
Q: Our 22-month-old son has developed a bad habit of spitting out bites of food. The first time it happened, I had set a cup on his tray while he was still chewing a bite of food. He...
Read MoreFather Feels Rejected by 18-Month-Old Son
Posted on 3/14/2023
“What have I done to cause my 18-month-old son to reject me?” asks a new dad. Whenever he tries to hold his son, feed, dress, or change him, the child puts up great resistance and screams...
Read MoreToddler Q&A
Posted on 2/14/2023
Q: When we reprimand our 34-month-old daughter for something, anything, she begins to wail like we’re beating her. Whether we firmly redirect or simply say, "No,” she begins to wail like...
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 MorePlaying Well With Toddlers
Posted on 11/8/2022
Q: I have two boys, 18 and 33 months. How much time each day should I spend involved in activities with them? Also, they chase one another around the house and other sorts of...
Read MoreThe Problem With Pull-Ups
Posted on 11/1/2022
I finally tracked down the fellow who invented the so-called “pull-up.” His name is Lucapher (Big Lou) Saytan. Reputedly, Mr. Saytan lives in an underground bunker from which he develops and...
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 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 MoreWhat To Do About Head-Banging Toddler?
Posted on 8/12/2021
Q: Our 19-month-old is a very active little boy who flips out when things do not go his way. When he has a tantrum, we walk away or simply ignore him. Nonetheless, he will scream and flail about...
Read MoreWith Sippy Cups, Stick to the Short Term
Posted on 7/20/2021
Research finds that so-called “sippy cups” – spill-free cups used by most American preschoolers – are linked to speech problems as well as early dental issues. A sippy cup’s spout depresses a...
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 MoreOn Picky Eaters
Posted on 11/4/2020
It’s funny, sort of, the things some parents want to believe. An example concerns children who’ve developed full-blown “eating disorders” by age three. “My child was exhibiting food...
Read MoreThe More You Say “No," the Less Effective It Becomes
Posted on 10/13/2020
Q: Our first child, a boy, just turned two. Per your advice, he is toilet trained and eating whatever I serve. Before he was born, we determined that we were not going to raise a picky eater. Our...
Read MoreTrump the Hump of Toddlerhood
Posted on 10/6/2020
Q: In your column of last week, you referred to the “hump of toddlerhood.” Can you please explain further? A: In using the word “hump,” I’m equating chronological toddlerhood – roughly,...
Read MoreNo Perfectly Reliable Form of Discipline With a Toddler
Posted on 9/2/2020
As just about everyone who has lived with a child for more than two years knows, the most potentially dangerous thing one can say to a toddler is “no.” That single syllable strikes deep into the...
Read More10-Month-Old Tosses Food for Mealtime Fun
Posted on 8/4/2020
Q: Our 10-month-old son has recently discovered the joys of throwing finger food on the floor at mealtimes. He doesn’t seem to care if I feed it to him myself, one piece at a time, but isn't it...
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 MoreHere's a Real Head Banger Issue
Posted on 7/14/2020
Q: When my two-year-old gets angry, he sometimes gets down and bangs his head on the floor. This happens two or three times a week, generally speaking. He’s not bruised himself, yet, but I don’t...
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 MoreToilet Training Is Not Rocket Science
Posted on 9/26/2018
Talking today’s mother through her first experience with toilet training is akin to talking someone off a ledge. Both situations involve massive anxiety, high drama and lots of yelling and...
Read MoreDebunking Hot Potty Training Myths
Posted on 8/14/2018
“Potty training is a nightmare.” So begins advice from Meghan Leahy, advice columnist for The Washington Post. More accurately, potty training has, of late, BECOME a nightmare, thanks to advice of...
Read MoreI Spy Toilet-Training Atrocities
Posted on 7/10/2018
Strolling through my go-to grocery store the other day, I happened down the Baby Products aisle where I spied packages of toilet-training pants featuring pictures of happy children who looked at...
Read MoreNip Toddler Misbehavior in the Bud
Posted on 12/19/2017
Q: My parents recently told me that my husband and I are letting our toddler run our family and that it’s becoming increasingly uncomfortable for them to visit or have us visit with them – they...
Read MoreKey to Toilet Training Success: Start Early
Posted on 8/2/2017
Q: Our twin girls will be three in a few months. Our pediatrician recommended that we start toilet training at 32 months, which we did. After several months and lots of gnashing of teeth, one of...
Read MoreTeaching Academics to Toddlers is Worthless
Posted on 4/12/2017
There is no good evidence that the artificial gains produced by so-called "jump-start" educational programs for toddlers, whether computer-driven or human-driven, are of lasting value....
Read MoreSend Toddler to Designated Tantrum Spot
Posted on 3/14/2017
Q: My 30-month-old has started throwing tantrums when I do not give her or do for her what she wants. During her fits, she cries, screams, tries to hit and even bite me, and then, if I prevent her...
Read MoreGrandparents Raising Grandson
Posted on 12/29/2015
Q: Our daughter died last year—long, sad story—leaving behind a 2-year-old boy. The father—not named on the birth certificate—is not and never has been a factor in the child’s life and gave us...
Read MoreJealous Sibling and Words of Wisdom for Toddler's Parents
Posted on 6/23/2015
Living with Children John Rosemond Copyright 2015, John K. Rosemond Q: My 24-month-old is constantly wanting to be in her newborn baby brother’s face, poking and touching him. How can...
Read MorePull-Ups & Adoption Age
Posted on 9/16/2014
Q: My 23-month-old son does well with potty training when we’re at home. We use a “potty bell” and he goes every 90 minutes or so. When we’re away from home, however, he seems clueless. He...
Read MoreParental Anxiety
Posted on 8/12/2014
On one of my websites I, along with a team of certified parent coaches, answer questions submitted by parents. In the last two days, 67 percent of the questions have concerned toilet...
Read MorePulling Her Hair Out
Posted on 7/15/2014
Q: Since our daughter, now 2 years old, was born we have lived with my parents. Being the first and only grandchild she has been the center of attention. Several months ago, our son was...
Read MoreHead Banging
Posted on 7/1/2014
Q: When he throws a tantrum, which happens several times a day, my 20-month-old often gets down on the floor and starts banging his head. Worried that he may hurt himself, I pick him up and...
Read MorePotty Training: It's a process
Posted on 6/24/2014
Q: My 26-month-old daughter will go on the potty happily every hour when told (we’re using your “potty bell” and it’s working extremely well) and produces every time. As a result, she’s having...
Read MorePatient Approach to Toilet Training
Posted on 6/10/2014
Q: We began toilet training our daughter when she was 21 months old. Within 10 days, she was consistently using the toilet for Number One. She now wears underwear 24/7 because she doesn’t...
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 MoreToilet Training - patience
Posted on 3/4/2014
Q: I've been using the method described in your toilet-training book with my 18-month-old daughter and she's been doing great during the day. She rarely has an accident. However, I'm still using a...
Read MoreInterpersonal Snot Wiping Behavior
Posted on 2/25/2014
Q: We are having a problem with our 32-month-old son. He picks his nose-most often in a public setting-and then proceeds to wipe it on other family members. It's disgusting. We have tried ignoring...
Read MoreEat What You Are Served
Posted on 12/31/2013
Q: Our son is two-and-one-half and for the most part eats very well. We make up his plate for each meal and he has to eat what is on his plate, or at least try each food on the plate before he can...
Read More150 Word Toilet Training Program
Posted on 12/10/2013
Q: My 18-month-old kicks me and hits me when I try to change his diaper. He doesn't do this for his father or grandparents. Should I hold his legs down until he gives up or will this worsen...
Read MoreOdd is just odd
Posted on 11/19/2013
The mother of a 4-year-old boy shared an interesting story with me the other day. At age 2, her son began chewing meat to the point where it became liquid, but would not swallow. The parents...
Read MoreToilet Training Without Tantrums Note
Posted on 10/25/2013
Editor's Comment: John gets so many questions about toilet training. I am reprinting a column from two years ago; with an additional note. Almost every question received about toilet training has...
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 More18-Month-Old is a Table Terror!
Posted on 2/26/2013
Q: Our 18 month old is a table terror! While I'm preparing dinner, she walks around acting like she's starving, but as soon as we sit her in her highchair she takes a few bites and then wants...
Read MorePotty Training 201: Nighttime
Posted on 12/4/2012
Q: This past August, when our son was a mere 22 months of age, it took him two weeks to learn to use the potty successfully. He was dry even at night. We were thrilled! However, now that the...
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