Anxieties, Fears
John's Most Recent Articles
Daughter Worries About Getting Sick Again
Posted on 4/18/2023
Q: Our 7-year-old daughter recently had a short-lived stomach virus. Ever since she has been fearful that eating may make her sick. Every night at dinner she becomes concerned that she’s...
Read MoreChild Mental Health Therapy: Any Proof It Does Any Good?
Posted on 8/30/2022
In a 6 – 3 decision, the Killingly, CT, school board recently said “no” to establishing a mental health center at its high school. I imagine most folks, upon hearing that, would be dismayed,...
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 MoreChoose 1 of 2 Paths With Kids’ Anxieties
Posted on 11/9/2021
Q: I recently changed my almost 4-year-old son’s preschool. My son, once fearless, has become reluctant to simply get out of the car in the morning and go into the school. There’s always a...
Read MoreTalking About Children’s Fears Can Intensify Them
Posted on 8/17/2021
A stalwart friend recently called my attention to an online article titled “Two Things to Say to a Child Returning to In-Person School (& Two You Should Avoid).” I am choosing to provide...
Read MoreToday’s Kids Suffer a Lack of Common Sense in Their Lives
Posted on 12/22/2020
A journalist asks, “What is the biggest challenge facing today’s children?” “The real world,” I said. For the last fifty years or so, good parenting has been defined...
Read MoreHelping a Child Worried About Death
Posted on 8/18/2020
Q: We have a five-year-old who obsesses about dying. This has been going on for six months, ever since a child in the neighborhood died of a congenital genetic condition. Our son knew the boy and...
Read MoreKeep Calm and Carry On
Posted on 3/24/2020
Vital to a child’s sense of well-being are parents who act competent to provide adequate provision and protection under any and all circumstances. I often refer to that obligation...
Read MoreReplace Psychological With Old Fashioned Parenting
Posted on 9/24/2019
As my regular readers know, I am a certified heretic in my field: child and family psychology. To the point, I am convinced that psychological parenting theory, which began to inform American...
Read MoreTry the 'No-Talking Cure' for Childhood Fears
Posted on 2/7/2018
A true story: When my daughter, Amy, was a pre-teen, she became anxious about going to sleep because of fears of dying in the middle of the night. When I tucked her in (I was her preferred...
Read MoreRecent Questions
Moving adjustments for teen
Posted 1 week ago
Our family has just moved to a new town where we don’t know anyone. My daughter has just started 8th grade. She is quiet/shy at school so it has been hard for her to make friends. I’ve...
Read MoreTry This to Quell Daughter’s Anxiety
Posted on 7/10/2023
My 6-year-old daughter has developed strong anxiety in the last three months. At the end of the school year, she was anxious (to the point of tears) about her end of year tests. Now, during summer...
Read More1 and 2-year olds scared of vacuum
Posted on 6/28/2023
My kids (2 yr and 1 yr) are both terrified of the vacuum. I thought that the older one was less scared and was getting over the fear but then she suddenly went back to crying and sometimes almost...
Read MoreToddler Needs Help Working Through Separation Anxiety
Posted on 6/5/2023
How do you help a 21 month old boy with separation anxiety? It has been going on for awhile, but has recently gotten a lot worse. He cries when left with a family member or sitter that he knows...
Read MoreWarts and All
Posted on 6/2/2023
My 6 year old son has some warts on his hands. He pitched a fit at the pediatric dermatologist today while getting his warts frozen off. He began screaming before the procedure even began. The...
Read MoreFears, Five Year Olds, and the Doctor
Posted on 12/12/2022
My daughter, age 5 1/2 recently started acting irrational. She refuses to get in the car and will unbuckle herself and jump out. This behavior started a week ago when she refused to sleep in her...
Read MoreMonster Madness
Posted on 7/13/2022
My daughter is 2.5 year old and randomly started telling us there are monsters (under bed, under couch, etc.). She doesn’t necessarily act afraid of them but she does seem bothered by them. It’s...
Read MoreThree-Year-Old's Sleep Patterns Changing
Posted on 6/22/2022
I believe my 3.5 year old is not getting enough sleep. He has toys in his room that he plays with during quiet time. He almost never naps anymore, but enjoys quiet time. Only recently has he...
Read MoreSwimming Upstream
Posted on 6/2/2022
My 3.5 year old is a bit timid when it comes to physical things. For example, he won’t go down a slide, but then when I just shove him down it he has fun. My problem is swimming. Now I have an 8...
Read MoreHearing Voices
Posted on 4/27/2022
"John" is almost 6 and is hearing voices in his head. The voices keep him awake at night and tell him "bad things". He does not try to get up and there are no behavior issues. He simply can't...
Read MoreTopics Covered
- ADHD and other disorders
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- Allowances
- Alpha Speech
- Anxieties, Fears
- Arguments with Children
- Audio Files
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- Behavior Modification
- Biblical Parenting
- Bill of Rights for Children
- Bonding With Baby/Child
- Boundaries
- Bullies/Bullying
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- Chores/Responsibilities
- College
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- Daycare/Preschool
- Depression/Self-Harm
- Developmental Issues (e.g. late talking)
- Discipline Methods (e.g. time-out)
- Disobedience/Defiance
- Divorce/Custody
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- Seven Biggest Mistakes Parents Make
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