John's Articles
Mom Keeps Telling Children Same Things Over and Over Again
Posted on 1/12/1999
PUNISHMENT SHOULD STOP THE CRIME, NOT JUST FIT IT "I keep having to tell my children the same things over and over again,'' said the mother of three. "Things like hang up your coat' and don't...
Read MoreChild-Rearing and Family Life - Part 2
Posted on 1/5/1999
WITHHOLDING DISCIPLINE LETS FRUSTRATION BUILD TO A BOIL More musings on child rearing and family life: * Proverbs says the parent who holds back the rod of discipline hates his child. This...
Read MorePaying Children for Chores
Posted on 9/29/1998
ALL CITIZENS' OF THE FAMILY OUGHT TO DO UNPAID CHORES Q. Having read your book, "A Family of Value,'' I must take exception to your recommendation that children not be paid for chores. It...
Read More3 Step Plan To Get Kids To Do What They Are Told To Do
Posted on 8/11/1998
3-STEP PLAN WILL GET KIDS TO DO WHAT THEY'RE TOLD "How can I get my children to do what they're told?'' More people ask me this question than any other. The answer is a relatively simple...
Read MoreChores Make Child Useful Within the Family
Posted on 1/13/1998
CHORES BUILD YOUR CHILD'S COMPETENCE AND CHARACTER Colonial children were initiated into the adult world early, but not in a hasty or harsh manner. From the age of 3 or so they were given...
Read MoreBack-To-School Tips
Posted on 9/9/1997
GET YOUR CHILD FOCUSED FIRST ON SCHOOL, RESPONSIBILITY It seems every journalist who has called me lately wants to know if I have any back-to-school tips for parents. Before I share some with...
Read MoreHow To Make Children Do Chores
Posted on 11/21/1996
<i>This is the absolutely true story of how Willie and I took two children who "would not lift a finger around the house'' and removed them from Family Welfare:</i> When our children, Eric and...
Read More8- and 10-Year-Old Forgetting Chores
Posted on 1/18/1996
TO HELP KIDS REMEMBER TO DO CHORES, POST THEM ON A SCHEDULE Q. We've tried various forms of punishment to get our children, ages 10 and 8, to remember their chores. But nothing works. We find...
Read MoreAllowances - Part 3
Posted on 8/19/1994
NEVER REWARD GOOD GRADES WITH MONEY Q. Should parents ever reward children with money for good grades? A. Not! School is for learning, not making money. When parents pay children for good...
Read MoreAllowances - Part 2
Posted on 8/12/1994
CONTROL ALLOWANCE, BUT BE GENTLE WITH THOSE GENEROUS GRANDPARENTS This is the second in a 3-part series on children and money matters. Q. Should parents set rules on how a child can use an...
Read MoreAllowances - Part 1
Posted on 8/5/1994
ALLOWANCES TEACH HOW TO SPEND, SAVE FIRST OF THREE PARTS For whatever reason, parents have asked me a lot of questions lately about allowances. I've decided to cash in on this surge of...
Read MoreThoughts on Parenting and Families - Part 3
Posted on 8/27/1993
PARENTS: PRETEND YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING Still more thoughts on parenting and families, the conclusion of a three-part series. For a free reprint of the entire series, send a self-addressed,...
Read MoreThoughts on Parenting and Families - Part 2
Posted on 8/13/1993
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON PARENTHOOD, FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS, RAISING CHILDREN Continued from last week, and continued next week: * To say the more attention a child gets, the better, is as...
Read MoreAllowances are Okay, but Don't Pay for Chores
Posted on 7/16/1993
AN ALLOWANCE IS OK, BUT DON'T PAY FOR CHORES Q. Should children be paid for doing chores around the home? A. Every child older than 3 should be expected to perform a daily regimen of...
Read MoreAllowances
Posted on 3/5/1993
THEIR TEENAGERS HAVE FINALLY ASKED FOR AN ALLOWANCE; NOW WHAT? Q. Based on your advice, our two children have been required to help with housework for the last five years. They're now in...
Read MoreSiblings Bicker Over Chores
Posted on 7/31/1992
IF SIBLINGS ALWAYS SQUABBLE OVER CHORES, HERE'S A CURE Q. We have three children, ages 8, 6 and 5. When it comes time to pick up toys, they argue with one another over who should pick up...
Read More7-Year-Old Bribes 5-Year-Old to do Chores
Posted on 3/10/1991
DO YOU WORRY IF BROTHER BRIBES SISTER? Q. I assigned chores to both of my children. Each of them now has a daily routine that they perform without complaint. Occasionally, however, my 7-year-...
Read More8- and 10-Year-Old Chore Issues
Posted on 4/22/1990
WHEN CHORES ARE KID STUFF, A LITTLE ORGANIZING HELPS Q. We've tried various forms of punishment, including restriction and deducting money from their allowances, to get our children, ages 10...
Read More6 Point Plan for Raising Happy, Healthy Children
Posted on 8/6/1989
6 COMMANDMENTS FOR PARENTS A reader from Albuquerque asks, "What is this Six-Point Plan' you wrote about several weeks ago?" Well, in addition to being in the title of my book "John...
Read MoreIt is Not Too Late to Teach 14-Year-Old the Three R's
Posted on 11/6/1988
I recently gave my "Helping Children Succeed in School" workshop to a group of professional educators in Phoenix, Ariz. In it, I explained that if parents want their children to become...
Read MoreQuestions about Doing Chores
Posted on 8/21/1988
CHILDREN SHOULD START DOING CHORES AS YOUNG AS 3 Q. At what age should parents begin assigning chores to children? How much of a child's time should chores consume? How about suggesting some...
Read More13-Year-Old Has Messy Room
Posted on 1/31/1988
GODFATHERLIKE OFFER' WILL KEEP DAUGHTER'S ROOM TIDY Q. Our 13-year-old daughter's room is an absolute disaster! The floor is littered with albums, clothes, magazines and other personal...
Read MoreTraditional Child-Rearing: The Rules of the Game
Posted on 1/17/1988
Once upon a time, people got married, had children and reared them. It wasn't something our forebears spent a lot of time fussing and fretting over. It was just something they did, along with...
Read More7-Year-Old Doesn't Want Same Bedtime as 4-Year-Old Sibling
Posted on 9/20/1987
FAIRNESS ISN'T ALWAYS ESSENTIAL WITH KIDS We have two sons, ages 4 and 7. Ever since the younger one started sleeping through the night, they've had the same 8:30 bedtime. Chad, the...
Read MoreTips on Child Rearing
Posted on 5/17/1987
A FEW TIPS ON CHILD REARING Some thoughts on raising children, arrived at over the course of more than eighteen years of parenthood. * The secret to raising happy, healthy children: Pay...
Read MoreKids Need to do Chores
Posted on 8/10/1986
KIDS NEED AND TAKE PRIDE IN CHORES One of the conclusions I've reached in talking with parents is that the overwhelming majority to today's children don't have a variety of chores they are...
Read MoreShowing results 51-76 on page 2 of 2.
