John's Articles
Boys Bathing Together
Posted on 12/22/2015
Q: My 7-year-old recently had his 9-year-old friend over to spend the night. At their request, I let them take a bubble bath together. I supervised, of course. They had fun squirting one another...
Read MoreParents Consider Homeschooling for 3rd Grader
Posted on 7/21/2015
Copyright 2015, John K. Rosemond Q: Our 8-year-old is scheduled to enter third grade at a public school this coming fall. Last year, he did very well; nonetheless, his second grade...
Read More8-year-old Manipulates, Whines
Posted on 6/16/2015
Living with Children John Rosemond Copyright 2015, John K. Rosemond Q: Our 8-year-old daughter tries to manipulate us and her siblings (she is the youngest of three) with emotional...
Read MorePunishment Shouldn't Fit the Crime
Posted on 5/12/2015
Copyright 2015 John K. Rosemond Q: Why is it that no consequence seems to work for long, if at all, with my very strong-willed 7-year-old daughter? I have tried everything I’ve ever...
Read MoreUsing Consequences
Posted on 4/14/2015
Copyright 2015, John K. Rosemond Q: Why is it that no consequence seems to work for long, if at all, with my very strong-willed 7-year-old daughter? I have tried everything I’ve ever...
Read MoreSociability for Shy Child
Posted on 3/24/2015
Copyright 2015, John K. Rosemond Q: Our 7-year-old is very shy. He doesn’t enjoy the sort of social activities, including sports, that other kids his age are generally involved in and...
Read MoreMisplacing a Sense of Purpose
Posted on 12/9/2014
Q: My buddy’s wife walks their 11-year-old into the classroom each day. Then she takes out his assignments and helps him get ready. We’re talking about a very capable kid who has no...
Read MoreAn Example in Parenting Minimalism
Posted on 11/4/2014
Q: My 6-year-old son argues with me about everything I tell him to do. He comes up with reason after reason why he shouldn’t have to or can’t, why it’s unfair, or why, at the least, I...
Read MoreRoadblocks to Success in Classroom Discipline
Posted on 10/14/2014
A first-grade teacher asks what she can do about a girl in her class who is completely undisciplined. After nearly two months of this teacher’s best efforts, the child’s behavior is no better. She...
Read MorePersonality Issue, Not a Behavior Problem
Posted on 10/7/2014
Q: My 7-year-old son does well in school and sports and has a good number of friends. However, he often allows himself to be intimidated by other boys. He is a rule-follower and is more...
Read MoreParents Helping with Homework
Posted on 9/9/2014
Q: I homeschooled my oldest, an 8-year-old boy, until this year. He started third grade in public school in August. As a homeschooling mom, I was not a micromanager and don’t want to...
Read More8 year old Grandson is Lying
Posted on 6/17/2014
Q: We are very concerned about our 8-year-old grandson’s lying. He always pleads innocence and wonders plaintively why no one ever believes him. When someone confronts him with some misdeed...
Read MoreTo Help or Not To Help?
Posted on 6/3/2014
I recently asked a group of 50 teachers: “Raise your hand if you agree that when a child comes to an adult asking for help with an academic problem, the adult should help.” ...
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 More"Boy" Behavior
Posted on 3/11/2014
Q: My 6-year-old son is a bright and friendly kindergartner. Each day a color coded chart is sent home about his behavior. This year he's gone through several spells during which he will have a...
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 MoreChild Argues with EVERYTHING
Posted on 1/7/2014
Q: What suggestions do you have for disciplining a 7-year-old girl who argues with every single thing her parents say? We don't try to reason with her and we frequently say "Because I said so" but...
Read MoreHomeschooling After Hours?
Posted on 12/24/2013
Q: I homeschool my two children, ages seven and nine. The school day lasts from eight-thirty in the morning until two o'clock in the afternoon, after which they usually do homework for an hour or...
Read MoreHurt Feelings
Posted on 12/17/2013
Q: My 6-year-old daughter has recently learned to say "You're hurting my feelings." This is part of her school's anti-bullying program. The problem is she's now saying it to me when I discipline...
Read MoreWhat No Child Has Ever Said!
Posted on 10/8/2013
Q: My 5-year-old daughter has developed a bad habit of arguing with me whenever I refuse her something, anything. Believe me when I tell you she is relentless. She will continue to argue until...
Read MoreKicking Out of the Garden of Eden [Explained]
Posted on 10/6/2013
Kicking the child out of the Garden of Eden John's "Garden of Eden" statement: Other Q and A or articles about this method may be searched by using the keyword "Garden" Below is detailed...
Read MoreGifted ... With Laziness
Posted on 8/20/2013
Q: Our 9-year-old son Bobby is very intelligent and capable of doing good work in school when he wants to, but he is generally just downright lazy. As a result, he makes mediocre grades and we...
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 MoreGifted and Talented Programs
Posted on 6/4/2013
Q: Our 9-year-old daughter is going to the fourth grade next school year. She loves school and has always done very well. She recently took a series of tests and we've learned that she qualifies...
Read MoreSchool Start and Birthdays
Posted on 5/21/2013
Q: Our son's fifth birthday is in August. He did just fine, socially and academically, in preschool, but the counselor at the school he's slated to attend has recommended that we hold him back a...
Read MoreNine year old: Homeschooling problem
Posted on 1/28/2013
Q: Our 9-year-old (only child) is home-schooled. He starts out well for about one hour, but then the wheels start falling off. He has to constantly be told what to do, but if you don't stand over...
Read MoreNine year old Refuses to go to her room
Posted on 1/15/2013
Q: What should I do when my 9-year-old daughter loses all of her privileges because of her misbehavior but refuses to go to her room? I tried to physically force her, but she put up too much of a...
Read More7 year old twins fighting
Posted on 1/8/2013
Q: How can we help our 7-year-old twin girls stop fighting? They constantly provoke and antagonize each other. We thought this was just normal sibling conflict, but it seems to be developing into...
Read MoreAttitude is everything!
Posted on 12/11/2012
Q: Our 7-year-old has always been a great, respectful, funny little kid. However, recently he started lying and become a little sneaky. We punished him by taking his television privilege away and...
Read MoreLeave the Homework to the Child
Posted on 8/23/2011
<i>As the new school year begins, it's time for me, once again, to make my perennial case against parental involvement in homework.</i> First, it is significant to note that as...
Read More8-Year-Old Boy Video Games
Posted on 8/2/2011
Q. We have taken video game privileges away from our 8-year-old son for various misbehaviors, but now he's sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night to play them anyway. If we confine him to...
Read More6-Year-Old Boys Being Rambunctious
Posted on 7/26/2011
Q. I have 6-year-old twin boys who tend to get rambunctious when playing with other boys. How can I teach them to control their behavior when around other 'wild' kids? Recently, one of my boys and...
Read MoreWild Boys
Posted on 7/25/2011
Q: I have 6-year-old twin boys who tend to get rambunctious when playing with other boys. How can I teach them to control their behavior when around other 'wild' kids? Recently, one of my boys...
Read MoreYoung Children Attending Funeral
Posted on 6/14/2011
Children at funerals? Q: My father-in-law has about one month to live. Should our children - ages 7, 5 and 2 - attend the funeral or viewing? A. Sit down with the older two children,...
Read More8-Year-Old Girl Not Completing Chores
Posted on 5/24/2011
Let children know you mean business Q: Our 8-year-old daughter has not been completing chores and following directions. On the morning of a recent soccer game, she failed to follow some simple...
Read More8-Year-Old Boy - Grade Retention Issue
Posted on 5/24/2011
Q: My 8-year-old son is the youngest in his third-grade class. Some students are more than a year older because parents are holding back boys these days. I am concerned because he is struggling...
Read MoreKids Hitting Parents
Posted on 2/22/2011
A hidden abuse problem: Kids who assault parents One of the more heartbreaking consequences of the "psychological" parenting philosophy and style that American parents began adopting in the...
Read MoreThird Grade Boy Defiant and Lazy
Posted on 11/16/2010
This 'laziness' may be a clever form of defiance In their e-mail to me, his parents call him "The Laziest Kid in America." The child in question, a third-grader, hides his clothes rather than...
Read MoreFifth Grade Boy School Issues
Posted on 11/2/2010
Parent wishes school would act on discipline Q: Our son's fifth-grade teacher has recently sent home notes to the effect that our little darling isn't paying attention and is missing homework...
Read More8-Year-Old Boy with Temper
Posted on 10/26/2010
8-year-old with a temper Q. My 8-year-old son is a sweet, sensitive little guy with a really bad temper. When I ask him to do something like take a bath or clean his room he often flies off the...
Read More10-Year-Old Girl Shaving Legs
Posted on 10/19/2010
Girl talk: Shaving legs Q: My 10-year-old daughter has been asking to shave her legs. So far I have said no, mainly because putting a razor in the hands of a 10-year-old doesn't seem safe....
Read More10-Year-Old Girl in Step-Family with Very Lenient Mom
Posted on 10/19/2010
Ultra-lenient mom Q: Our 10-year-old daughter goes back and forth between our house and her mom's. Our homes are run very differently. Bio-Mom gives her everything she wants (TV and DVD in her...
Read More8-Year-Old Son is a Verbal Bully
Posted on 8/10/2010
Son regrets ridiculing girl Q: My nearly 8-year-old son made fun of our next-door neighbor's biracial daughter's skin color. The minute he realized how wrong he was, he became very upset and...
Read MoreSixth Grade Son Excessive Homework Load
Posted on 8/3/2010
How much homework is too much in sixth grade? Q: My son will be starting sixth grade at a new public charter school. This school uses a classical curriculum that does not draw from pop culture...
Read More7-Year-Old Son Sucking on Stuffed Animals
Posted on 7/20/2010
Sleeping with stuffed toys Q: My husband recently discovered that our 7-year-old son has been sucking on his stuffed animals when we put him to bed. He took the animals away, telling our son he...
Read MoreYounger Children Playing Poker with Older Child
Posted on 7/13/2010
Dealing with poker Q: What do you think about a 13-year-old child playing poker with my kids, ages 8 and 9? Even though they weren't using money, I didn't think it was age-appropriate, so I...
Read More6-Year-Old Girl Throwing Tantrums
Posted on 6/8/2010
Tantrums at 6? Kid's living la vida toddler A concerned mother told me her 6-year-old daughter still threw tantrums nearly every day, during which she screamed as if she were being tortured,...
Read More8-Year-Old Boy Humiliated by Coach
Posted on 5/11/2010
Coach humiliates kids Q: Our 8-year-old son is on an extremely competitive gymnastics team. We're concerned about the coach's disciplinary style. When a child makes a mistake, he is prone to...
Read More7-Year-Old Boy Bored Living in the Country
Posted on 4/13/2010
Bored country kid needs a hobby Q: We live in the country and my 7-year-old son is bored out of his mind. He desperately wants to move to the city where he can have neighbor kids to play with....
Read MoreYoung Siblings Bickering
Posted on 2/16/2010
Siblings can't bicker if they're not together Q. My 7- and 4-year-old daughters play together all day long, but the play is punctuated every few minutes with bickering of the "I'm telling!" and...
Read MoreShowing results 51-100 on page 2 of 8.