Only Children
John's Most Recent Articles
A Family is a Family
Posted on 3/20/2007
FORGET ADJECTIVES; ANY CHILD IS A CHILD, ANY FAMILY IS A FAMILY Parents frequently ask if I have written books on adjective-children (e.g. adopted children) or adjective-families (e.g. blended...
Read MoreMarriage Needs Outrank Child's Needs
Posted on 7/5/2005
A MARRIAGE'S NEEDS USUALLY OUTRANK CHILD'S Q: After 15 years of marriage, my wife and I are considering starting a family. She is 43, and I am 45. We waited this long because of health...
Read More5-Year-Old Should Entertain Self
Posted on 4/13/2004
5-YEAR-OLD SHOULD ENTERTAIN SELF Q: My 5-year-old son is a real people person. Several times a week he cries because he wants someone to play with him. I set aside 30-45 minutes each day to...
Read More5-Year-Old Needs to Occupy Self
Posted on 10/7/2003
SHOW KIDS THEY'RE SMART ENOUGH TO OCCUPY THEMSELVES Q: I'm a single mom who works full-time from home. At noon, I pick up my 5-year-old from her half-day kindergarten program. Unfortunately,...
Read More20-Year-Old Doesn't Like Parents' Restrictions and Rules
Posted on 3/25/2003
ADULT CHILD WINS POWER STRUGGLE Q: We have a 20-year-old daughter, an only child, who feels we have no right to restrict her behavior. For one, she refuses to go to church with us. Her curfew...
Read More7-Year-Old Sleeping with Parents
Posted on 2/4/2003
PERMISSIVE PARENTS NEED TO SHOW BOY WHO'S BOSS Q: How do you get a child out of your bed? Six months ago, I allowed our 7-year-old son and only child to sleep with me a few nights while my...
Read MoreMom Does Not Like Her Friend's 5-Year-Old Bratty Only Child
Posted on 5/25/1999
SHOW CHILDREN WHAT IT COSTS TO ADOPT THEIR FRIENDS' BAD HABITS Q. I have a friend whose 5-year-old daughter is an only child. My children adore the ground she walks on even though she's a...
Read MoreParents of 2-Year-Old Question If They Should Have More Children
Posted on 11/11/1997
WITH ONLY CHILD, GET OTHER KIDS' HELP Q. My husband and I have a 2-year-old boy. We question whether we want to have any more children. We'd like to know whether you have any particular...
Read MoreDon't Define Child by Category
Posted on 11/18/1994
IT'S BEST NOT TO DEFINE A CHILD BY A CATEGORY Peruse the Child Care section of any major chain bookstore today and you will find books on the ADD (attention deficit disorder) child, the LD...
Read More9-Year-Old is a Perfectionist
Posted on 2/5/1993
GIRL, 9, HAS TO HAVE EVERYTHING PERFECT Q. I have a 9-year-old daughter -- an only child - who is a perfectionist, and it's driving me crazy. For example, rather than simply correcting a...
Read MoreRecent Questions
You're in Charge
Posted on 8/6/2021
My son is 9 yo. Like his dad and me, he tends to be in the chunky side of the physique spectrum. Being an only child....not having permanent full time playmates makes it easy for him to not be as...
Read MoreDeveloping the Skill To Play by Oneself
Posted on 10/15/2020
Any special resources you would recommend for an only child? When I see "play by yourself" I often feel guilty because he is really by himself! I think I overindulge due to guilt that he's alone....
Read More14 YO Boy Looking For Friends
Posted on 8/28/2019
My son is 14 years old. He is having a lot of issues around relationships with friends/girlfriends. He seems to be struggling with feeling secure in his relationships. He needs a lot of...
Read More6 yro has trouble occupying herself
Posted on 3/25/2019
Our 6-year-old daughter does not like to occupy herself. When we ask her to play by herself, she keeps coming from her room asking us to play with her or asking us to be with her. But when she is...
Read MoreAttention Addiction
Posted on 1/23/2019
Our son is 4 1/2 and is basically an only child as his older siblings are no longer living at home. Lately he seems to be having episodes of anxiety, and they seem to happen at various times. He...
Read MoreLiberating the Playmate Dad
Posted on 1/11/2019
I read the column by Dinah Bucholz, Stop Paying Attention to Your Kids. I'm struggling because this is my downfall. My daughter wants me to play with her constantly. I have an overwhelming sense...
Read MoreGrow a Man by Growing Flowers
Posted on 7/8/2018
Hi. After being at a 4 hour playdate, my 10 yr old still makes me feel bad for not playing with him when he gets home. How do I handle a 10 yr old boy who needs to be entertained constantly? Is it...
Read More'Tis the Season of Leaving and Cleaving
Posted on 7/3/2018
My son has joined my practice which was always our plan. He brought his girlfriend (also a dr & now is wife) back. They lived with us for 2 years. I trained them, shared my practice & they kept...
Read More4 yro won't share
Posted on 1/5/2018
I host a few ladies and their kids at my house weekly. My four-year-old son (only child) usually starts off okay, but then loses his mind (yelling and telling the kids to leave) when they mess up...
Read MoreWhy "why" doesn't really matter.
Posted on 8/21/2017
I have a 5 year old daughter who will start kindergarten in 4 days. I have used the 6 block chart for behavior issues with good success. For some reason, the last several weeks have seen her...
Read MoreTopics Covered
- ADHD and other disorders
- Adoption/Foster Parent
- Aggression
- Allowances
- Alpha Speech
- Anxieties, Fears
- Arguments with Children
- Audio Files
- Bedtime/Sleep
- Bedwetting
- Bullies/Bullying
- Character/Values (teaching)
- Chores/Responsibilities
- College
- Consequences/Punishment
- Daycare/Preschool
- Depression/Self-Harm
- Developmental Issues (e.g. late talking)
- Discipline Methods (e.g. time-out)
- Disobedience/Defiance
- Divorce/Custody
- Drugs (marijuana, cocaine, etc.)
- Education
- Electronics (Computers/Video Games/Television/Cell Phones)
- Elementary School
- Extracurricular Activities/Hobbies
- Father
- Food/Eating Problems
- Gender
- Gentle Parenting
- Grandparents/Grandchildren
- High School
- Homeschooling
- Homework
- John's Discipline Methods
- Learning Disabilities
- Lying
- Manners
- Marriage Issues
- Mealtime/Eating
- Mental Health
- Miscellaneous Discipline Problems
- Miscellaneous Editorial Columns
- Mothers
- Only Children
- Pacifiers/Security Blankets/Thumbsucking
- Parent Leadership and Authority
- Play
- Preschool
- Rebellious Behavior
- Respect
- Rewards
- School Issues
- Self-Esteem
- Shyness
- Sibling Conflict
- Single Parents
- Social Issues (fighting/arguing with friends)
- Socialization/Social Skills
- Spanking
- Step-Families
- Tantrums
- Teenage Issues
- Terrible Twos
- Toilet Training
