Posted on 5/16/2017
By the time this column appears in most papers to which it is distributed, Mother’s Day 2017 will have come and gone. Nonetheless, I’m going to talk about mothers—one in particular. ...
Read MorePosted on 3/8/2017
A couple of months ago, following a talk I gave in Georgia, a woman told me she had been offended by my many references to mothers who are enmeshed in their children's lives. These women, when...
Read MorePosted on 1/3/2017
One of the biggest problems among today’s parents—especially mothers—concerns their tendency to think in psychological terms about their children’s behavior problems. Mothers are more prone to...
Read MorePosted on 12/28/2016
I recently asked a married couple who have three kids, none of whom are yet teens, “Who are the most important people in your family?” Like all good moms and dads of this brave new...
Read MorePosted on 5/27/2015
My mother was a most unusual woman for her generation. She divorced my father when I was three, went to college and eventually obtained a Ph.D. in plant morphology when women were not heartily...
Read MorePosted on 11/29/2011
The micromanager mom and the man-child dad Devon Corneal is an attorney and a writer. Her essay "Can You Hear Me Now? Why Parents Can't Get Kids to Listen" was published online by The...
Read MorePosted on 11/22/2011
Respect children; don't idolize them A young mother who identified herself as a practitioner of "attachment parenting" recently told me that "children should be approached with reverence." I...
Read MorePosted on 11/15/2011
How to 'parent from the marriage' Q: Several years ago, I married a widower who never disciplined his children. They are now 9, 14 and 16 and he still has a very difficult time denying them...
Read MorePosted on 4/12/2011
Moms must enforce boundaries with children A journalist recently began an interview with me with this question: "What is the biggest problem in American parenting today? Is it sex, drugs,...
Read MorePosted on 12/28/2010
Child off to school sets off mom's angst trigger Q. Since the oldest of my three children started kindergarten this year, I have become increasingly attached to her, as if I took for granted...
Read MorePosted 4 weeks ago
My 20 month old toddler is having a very hard time adjusting to daycare. I believe she has severe separation and social anxieties. I am a stay at home mom and I am putting my daughter in daycare...
Read MorePosted on 6/6/2019
When our son hits, we send him to his room for the entire day. However, his hitting tends to happen towards dinner/bedtime so we sentence him to his room the next day. Inevitably, it falls on a...
Read MorePosted on 5/21/2019
My girls, ages 6,5 and 3, prefer to follow me around during their free time. They just like to watch what I’m doing and talk and sometimes be involved in what I’m doing. I wonder if I should send...
Read MorePosted on 4/19/2019
For a stay-at-home mom who is having difficulty with time management, what is a good balance between housekeeping/cooking duties, working from home, spending time with husband, and spending time...
Read MorePosted on 4/14/2019
I am a step grandparent. We have a three year old grandson who is being raised in a progressive, liberal, agnostic environment. The household is run by the toddler and to say it is matriarch ruled...
Read MorePosted on 3/26/2019
I’m having a difficult time with my nearly 6 year old son. It feels like we are butting heads all of the time. He has become increasingly more sensitive lately. Throwing huge tantrums, crying over...
Read MorePosted on 3/12/2019
Hello, We recently asked a question about our seven year old son who was refusing to stay in his room after losing all his daily strikes. We were told to make him 'an offer he hopefully can't...
Read MorePosted on 3/1/2019
I have been seeking help from this site for a long time and would appreciate you looking through our history for insight and understanding. My now seven year old son is still having behavior...
Read MorePosted on 3/1/2019
My 7 year old son has a problem solving problem. Any task he performs can make him melt down. I am sure that when he was younger I would jump in and solve his problem, but I have been very...
Read MorePosted on 2/24/2019
My 6 year old still puts things in his mouth, toys, icicles from the bottom of the car. We've explained why he needs to stop this behaviour, but don't know how to effectively stop the behaviour....
Read More