Depression/Self-Harm
John's Most Recent Articles
Connect Son With Person You Both Trust
Posted on 12/20/2022
Q: Our fifteen-year-old son has pronounced mental health issues. He deals with multiple anxieties, depression, and is painfully shy. You seem to believe that psychological therapy is of...
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 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 MoreTeen Not a Suicide Risk
Posted on 7/23/2019
My recent column pertaining to a 12-year-old who told his parents he’d thought about suicide several times over the past six months stirred a fair number of folks to respond. Feelings toward the...
Read MoreThe Most Powerful Love Is Tough Love
Posted on 7/2/2019
Q: On several occasions over the last six months or so, our 12-year-old son has told us he’s been thinking about suicide. Apparently, he’s been the target of a couple of school bullies and...
Read MoreRespect for Adults Is Good for Kids' Mental Health
Posted on 6/6/2018
Rates of child and teen depression and suicide continue to rise, as they have for fifty years. As regular readers of this column know, I do not agree in the least with current explanations, much...
Read MoreRecent Questions
Time to learn to forgive and be grateful.
Posted on 10/22/2020
I have a nineteen year old son who is displaying behaviors of depression. He is not eating, hiding in his room all day, refuses to participate in friend activities unless it is with his...
Read MoreParenting a Disrespectful Teen with Divorced Parents
Posted on 10/10/2020
Almost two years ago my husband left (affair) and we are in a very difficult divorce. We are not friendly and don’t communicate other than texting. We have four children together and have 50/50...
Read MoreTIme to work with a coach.
Posted on 8/18/2020
Hi there. My husband and I have twin boys who will turn five years old at the end of October. Over the past few weeks, the competition between the two of them has really increased. I know that...
Read MoreTeen parenting adjustment.
Posted on 7/28/2020
We have a 16 yo son who we have caught recently lying and even snuck out of the house once (that we know of) with a couple friends. He does have a phone that he pays for monthly. But we have...
Read MoreOnly an Adult Chronologically
Posted on 7/12/2020
Our 19 year old daughter is living at home and working full time as a nursing aide at a local hospital. She has quit nursing school (the co-vid online situation did not work out well for her). In...
Read MoreSon hits himself when he loses TV privileges
Posted on 6/18/2020
When my son loses his tv privileges he starts hitting himself, screaming, saying he’s stupid, he hates himself etc and beginning he will do anything to earn tv back (I say no). There clearly is an...
Read MoreIs Child's Threat of Suicide a Cry for Help or for Attention?
Posted on 1/9/2020
My oldest is eleven and started middle school this year. Overall it has been a smooth transition. She has a great group of friends and likes school. She does not have a phone and has very limited...
Read More7 year old yells at himself
Posted on 8/14/2019
I have a 7 year old boy with behavior problems but only towards me, his Mother. Whenever he is disrespectful and starts screaming at me I send him to his room for the rest of the day. While he is...
Read Morechild sends mixed message
Posted on 5/5/2019
I have a personal friend that went through a bitter divorce approximately 6 years ago. She has 4 children ages 14, 13, 10.5 and 9.5. The three older ones are girls and the youngest a boy. The...
Read MoreThe magic wand of threats
Posted on 7/18/2018
I have a 13 year old step son. He's threatened suicide for 2 years now and now he's threatening to hurt others, including his mom, his father and me. We have him talking to a therapist and...
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
