John's Articles

Parent Care vs Day Care - Part 3

Posted on 3/19/1993

OUTRAGE OVER CHILD-CARE COLUMN POINTS TO THE REAL PROBLEM: DECLINE OF FAMILY In a feature article and two separate editorials, The Des Moines Register has taken me to task for a column in...

25-Month-Old Asks "Why?" All the Time

Posted on 1/22/1993

BECAUSE ANSWERS TO YOUR CHILD'S NEVER-ENDING WHY?' ARE IMPORTANT Q. Our 25-month-old son has started asking me "Why?" about almost everything. He'll ask me a question, I'll answer and he'll ask...

2-Year-Old Climbing Out of Crib

Posted on 1/15/1993

WHEN 2-YEAR-OLD LEARNS TO CLIMB OUT OF THE CRIB, GET READY Q. Our 2-year-old started climbing out of his crib several months ago. Since then, we haven't been able to get him to stay in his...

Parent Care vs Day Care - Part 2

Posted on 12/18/1992

Q. I read a recent column of yours in which you said that parent care during the first three years of life is preferable to daycare. I tend to agree, but wouldn't some children be better off in...

Parent Care vs Day Care - Part 1

Posted on 12/4/1992

STAYING AT HOME ENCOURAGES INDEPENDENCE IN TODDLER I recently wrote that parent care during the first three years of life is highly preferable, in most cases, to day care. A number of folks...

2-Year-Old is Agressive with Other Children

Posted on 7/24/1992

TO CALM A FIGHTING 2-YEAR-OLD, IT'S BEST TO TAKE HIM AWAY UNTIL HE SETTLES DOWN Q. My 2-year-old can't play with another child without biting or scratching or hitting. I'm at wit's end over...

30-Month-Old Will Be Fine When Parents Are on Vacation

Posted on 5/15/1992

GRANDPARENTS MUST CARE FOR CHILD WHO'S NEVER HAD A SITTER Q. We are grandparents to a very sweet but spoiled 30-month-old whose parents recently won a week's vacation in Tahiti. They asked...

Sexual Molestation Debate

Posted on 4/10/1992

YOU'RE NOT IGNORING ABUSE BY WAITING, WATCHING Several weeks ago, through this column, I told the parents of a toddler who'd been sexually molested once at age 23 months not to worry. In all...

Mom Concerned About Trauma of 2-Year-Old That Was Sexually Molested

Posted on 3/13/1992

SEXUALLY MOLESTED BEFORE AGE 2, CHILD MAY SURVIVE PSYCHOLOGICALLY Q. Our 23-month-old daughter - our first child - was sexually molested by a male baby-sitter several months ago. Shortly...

3-Year-Old Demands a Lot of Attention from Mom

Posted on 2/7/1992

3-YEAR-OLD CLINGING VINE CAN CUT LOOSE Q. I read a recent column of yours in which you said 3-year-olds who demand lots of attention have probably received too much to begin with. You were...

Regular Bedtime Routine for 3-Year-Old and 15-Month-Old

Posted on 7/28/1991

TODDLERS NEED REGULAR ROUTINE TO FOLLOW AT BEDTIME Q. I have two sons, ages 3 and 15 months. When the first was a baby, I rocked him to sleep. As he got older, I began lying down with him at...

2-Year-Old Biting

Posted on 5/26/1991

WHEN YOUR 2-YEAR-OLD BITES, DO NOTHING My 2 year-old occasionally bites himself when he is angry over not getting his way. What can I do to stop him? Does this mean he's insecure, or that...

2-Year-Old Hitting Parents

Posted on 12/9/1990

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR 2-YEAR-OLD HITS YOU Q: Our 2-year-old has started hitting us whenever he doesn't like something we do to him or doesn't get his way. Is it OK to spank him or pop his hand...

Parents, Take Center Stage in Rearing Children

Posted on 9/2/1990

Traveling around the country, doing talks and workshops for various parent and professional groups, I am asked a broad range of questions concerning the rearing of children, many of them having to...

2-Year-Old Modified Time-Out

Posted on 5/27/1990

TIME-OUT IS TOUGH FOR 2-YEAR-OLDS BUT FINDING A STRATEGIC MOMENT CAN BE WORTH THE WAIT Q: A few weeks ago, you wrote a column in which you described how time-out could be modified for use...

2-Year-Old Misbehaving

Posted on 4/15/1990

START SLOWLY WHEN USING TIME-OUT AS DISCIPLINE Q: I am the besieged parent of a 2-year-old. Our pediatrician has recommended that when our daughter misbehaves, we make her sit in a chair for...

3-Year-Old Hurting 10-Month-Old

Posted on 2/26/1989

TEACH CHILD NOT TO HURT BABY BROTHER Q. How can we keep our oldest, a 3-year-old daughter, from hurting our 10- month-old? Ever since the baby started crawling, our daughter has been...

Preschoolers Do Not Need to Know ABCs (Also Dyslexia Question)

Posted on 7/17/1988

PRESCHOOLERS ARE NOT READY TO LEARN TO WRITE ALPHABET I was talking recently with the parents of a boy who attends a preschool program for 4-year-olds where they've been teaching him to write...

No Need to Emphasize Academics with Preschoolers

Posted on 3/27/1988

PRESCHOOLERS NEEDN'T LEARN ABC'S, READING I do a workshop titled, "Helping Your Child Succeed in School." At one point, I ask my audience the following question: "How many of you knew the...

2-Year-Old Biting

Posted on 1/24/1988

DON'T MAKE TOO BIG A DEAL ABOUT BITING Several years ago, I was invited into a day care center to observe a 2- year-old who was biting other children. The teachers were convinced there was...

Steps to Help Calm Overactive Toddler

Posted on 1/3/1988

TAKE THESE STEPS TO HELP CALM OVERACTIVE TODDLER Do you have an extremely active toddler, the kind who's always on the go, getting into everything? One who hits the deck running in the...

22-Month-Old Sleeping Issue

Posted on 10/18/1987

TODDLERS MAY NEED REASSURANCE Q. Our 22-month-old son has recently developed a sleeping problem. He's always been easy to put to bed and began sleeping through the night at an early age....

2 1/2-Year-Old Agressive with 9-Month-Old Sibling

Posted on 6/28/1987

GET OLDER CHILD TO PLAY GENTLY WITH SISTER Q: Our 2 1/2-year-old son has recently started taking just about every opportunity to hit, bite, push and sit on our 9-month-old. We've tried...

18-Month-Old Head Banging Issue

Posted on 3/22/1987

HEAD BANGING NO PROBLEM CHILDREN HAVE OWN WAYS OF PUTTING THEMSELVES TO SLEEP Q. When we put her to bed, our 18-month-old daughter gets on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth,...

2-Year-Old is Determined to Have His Way

Posted on 2/8/1987

DISCIPLINING TODDLER PRESENTS PROBLEMS, BUT CAN BE DONE Q. Our 2-year-old is determined to have his way all the time. If we tell him to do something, he gives us this defiant glare and...

2-Year-Old Screaming

Posted on 12/28/1986

DON'T ALLOW SMART 2-YEAR-OLD TO CONTROL YOU WITH SCREAMS Q. We have one child, a 2-year-old boy, who has always been strong-willed. He attends a toddler program five mornings a week, and my...

Day-Care Spanking

Posted on 12/26/1986

I'M AGAINST DAY-CARE SPANKING Joseph Chambers wrote a column that appeared on this page Oct. 1 under the headline "I'd Go To Jail Over Right To Spank." Obviously, the Rev. Chambers believes...

30-Month-Old Bedtime Issues

Posted on 11/23/1986

CREATE PICTURES' OF BEDTIME TO GET YOUR CHILD TO SLEEP Q. Our 30-month-old won't let us out of her bedroom at night. We begin getting her ready for bed around 7:30. After her bath, a snack...

Managing 2 Year-Old in Public Places

Posted on 11/16/1986

SETTING THE RULES 1ST HELPS IN DISCIPLINING 2-YEAR-OLD Q. Our 2 1/2-year-old son is a typical 2-year-old: active, inquisitive, stubborn, and wants everything his way. At home, we manage to...

3-Year-Old and 15-Month-Old Bedtime Issues

Posted on 3/9/1986

HEAD OFF CHILD'S BEDTIME BATTLE Q. I have two sons. The first is 3, the second is 15 months. When the first was a baby, I rocked him to sleep. As he got older, I began lying down with him...

20-Month-Old Head Banging

Posted on 2/23/1986

DON'T IGNORE CHILD'S HEAD-BANGING Q. Over the past few months, our 20-month-old son has developed the disturbing habit of violently banging his head on a hard surface, like the floor or a...

Those Terrible 2's Are Really Terrific

Posted on 12/15/1985

If it were possible to record and decode the burst of activity that occurs in the brain of a newborn child at the moment he first opens his eyes to behold the mysteries of the universe, the...

John's Articles

Search All Articles