School Age (6-10 years)

John's Most Recent Articles

Youth Sports Drive Adults Crazy

Posted on 6/6/2023

My family moved to Westchester, Illinois, in 1956, where I began fourth grade at High Ridge School. At the time, my athletic skills consisted of catching and throwing a baseball. The kids in my...

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Why Hanna Sleeps With Us

Posted on 5/9/2023

My wife, Willie (nee Wilma), and I are the happy caretakers of a happy seventeen-month-old pure white toy schnauzer, Hanna. Hanna occupies the center of our attention. If you spent a day in our...

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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...

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School Principal Asks About Discipline

Posted on 10/25/2022

Q: I am a principal at a private church-affiliated school. Contrary to my graduate school training and most of my peers’ practice, I believe disciplinary actions should "fit the crime."...

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When It Comes to Your Child’s Education, You Know Better Than Them

Posted on 9/14/2022

Q: I have homeschooled my seventh-grade daughter on and off through elementary school. This school year, I began homeschooling her, but she’s now telling me she wants to go to “real”...

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Homeschool Discipline Problems

Posted on 9/6/2022

Q: Ever since toddlerhood, we have had significant behavior problems with our 6-year-old son—defiance and general disrespect, mostly. We have tried various disciplinary approaches with...

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A 3-Point Plan to Get Kids to Do Their Own Homework

Posted on 8/16/2022

Q: The school our 10-year-old daughter attends believes parents should micromanage homework sessions – they call it “being a homework buddy.” As a consequence, our daughter believes we...

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Should I Tell My Best Friend to Discipline Her Bratty, Bossy Daughter?

Posted on 5/17/2022

Q: My best friend’s 6-year-old daughter is an only child and a spoiled brat. She screams at her parents when she doesn’t get her way, always wants to be first at everything and is extremely bossy...

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Discipline Differences Between Divorced Parents

Posted on 5/10/2022

Q: We see my husband's 9-year-old son every other weekend and two weeks in the summer. He has major issues in school with both behavior and doing his work. He's well behaved when he's with us, but...

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Don’t Just ‘Settle’ Dispute, Solve It

Posted on 5/3/2022

Q: Our sons are six and four. When their same-age cousins, come over, they all go down into our basement to play. Invariably, within thirty minutes my youngest comes upstairs crying because his...

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Recent Questions

BOYS WILL BE BOYS AND BOYS ARE WEIRD

Posted 1 week ago

We have a 7, 2 and 2 month old. All boys. Sometimes my 7 year old likes to shake his butt (or front side) in our 2 year olds' face. Usually while changing or rough housing. The boys share a room...

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7 YO TAUNTS 2 YO

Posted 1 week ago

Our 7-year-old son is home for summer with our 2-year-old and 2-month-old. I've noticed him acting manipulative and greedy. For example, when the two-year-old gets up from his nap he will tell him...

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CHILDREN HATE READING OUT LOUD TO THEIR PARENTS, AND I DON'T BLAME THEM

Posted 1 week ago

We have 3 boys, ages 7, 2 and 2 months. Our 7-year-old son has shown patterns of lying and gaslighting. It's very concerning. For example, he was reluctantly reading out loud at bedtime while his...

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Troublemaking Siblings

Posted 2 weeks ago

Our two youngest children, when together, are troublemakers. They are 6 and 7, but when they are together they revert to large babies—don’t do their chores, lay around, giggle, tickling,...

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Leadership is an antidote for emotionality

Posted 2 weeks ago

Our daughter, whom we have asked about before, is lying more often about small & big things, however we have noticed she pulls away from us and will hardly talk to us or open up. Whenever we...

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Call the "Doctor" for Damsel in Distress

Posted 2 weeks ago

Our 7 yo daughter will act like a damsel in distress—getting fake hurt or acting like she can’t do something. My husband and I ignore it, or nonchalantly guide her to her room to ‘rest’. It has...

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Time for a New Approach with 6YO

Posted 3 weeks ago

My son turns 6 next month and has hit a stage where if I use alpha speech and he doesn’t like what we’re doing, he follows me around whining or trying to convince me otherwise. If I tell him to go...

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No fair rules and personal responsibility

Posted 3 weeks ago

My 10-year-old daughter is insolent and disobedient at home, especially towards my husband, her stepfather for the past year ("you're not my father"). She doesn't like the new rules that have been...

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Recognizing the Value of Childhood Chores

Posted 3 weeks ago

Hi there! I am wanting to know what chores I should expect from my three daughters, 3.5yo twins and 6.5yo. They help out here and there, but Dad and I are tired of doing all the clean up and no...

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GRANDMA EINSTEIN

Posted 3 weeks ago

Our children are in the ages of 5-10. Their grandmother (my mother-in-law) is employed by the school system, and acts like an expert in children’s health and mental health, although with no formal...

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