Questions

Look Out Boss, Here Comes the Baby!

Posted 1 week ago

I have a 6-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son. My daughter is the typical first child who is bossy, little mama and directs her brother frequently on what to do, not to do etc. She’s a...

Time to Put a Stop to 9 YO Whiner

Posted 2 weeks ago

Hello, my 9 year old son tends to whine a lot. Asking him to grab something for me has him stomping, fussing and dragging his feet. When asking him to come review his schoolwork or play a game...

Is Age 8 Too Young to Do Homework Independently?

Posted 2 weeks ago

Hello. We have a just-turned 8 year old son who gets easily distracted. We have met with his teachers to rule out ADHD. My simple question is this: is 8 years old too young to hold them to a...

Should 8YO Be Allowed to Quit Soccer?

Posted 3 weeks ago

My 8 year old daughter wanted to sign up for her fourth year of soccer so we did so. After a handful of practices and a game she wants to quit. She says she hates everything about it and hates...

A New Beginning!

Posted 3 weeks ago

My daughter is 8 (only child) and we have come to realize we have created a child centered household. We want to start changing our parenting and realize some obstinance may come with this new...

Mom Concerned About Neighborhood Playtime Discord

Posted 3 weeks ago

I have four children in elementary school. They play with a neighborhood boy that is a few years older—so the neighbor boy is the oldest. I don’t get involved with their play, but I do...

Teaching Respect

Posted 3 weeks ago

My child lost all her tickets yesterday and then spent the remainder of the day in her room. I removed all the toys but I did leave several books. Today I found out that she had ripped the front...

10 & 12 year old brothers, "highly sensitive" and "strong willed"

Posted 4 weeks ago

I am on board with all the traditional discipline "like grandma did it." We have 5 children ranging in age now 24 down to 10. The 10-year-old son has all the signs of being what I understand to be...

Raising a Good Sport

Posted on 8/8/2024

How do I help my 8-year-old cope with losing?

SON DISRESPECTING MOTHER FOLLOWING DIVORCE

Posted on 7/29/2024

I am a single mother since 3 years. His father did not visit our soon to be 10 year old after the separation. Our son started to become aggressive and disrespectful towards me. I arranged the...

TWIN 7 YOS RUNNING THE HOUSE

Posted on 7/24/2024

My twins are 7yo b/g and when they aren't bickering with each other, they're making the rest of family life miserable by attempting to boss their 12yo sister sister around, or us, or otherwise...

BOYS WILL BE BOYS AND BOYS ARE WEIRD

Posted on 7/15/2024

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...

7 YO TAUNTS 2 YO

Posted on 7/15/2024

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...

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

Posted on 7/15/2024

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...

Troublemaking Siblings

Posted on 7/12/2024

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,...

Leadership is an antidote for emotionality

Posted on 7/11/2024

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...

Call the "Doctor" for Damsel in Distress

Posted on 7/7/2024

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...

Time for a New Approach with 6YO

Posted on 7/6/2024

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...

No fair rules and personal responsibility

Posted on 7/5/2024

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...

Recognizing the Value of Childhood Chores

Posted on 7/5/2024

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...

GRANDMA EINSTEIN

Posted on 7/4/2024

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...

It's Always Something

Posted on 6/21/2024

Good day. My son (7.5) has come a long way on many behavioral issues. One infuriating thing we are still having trouble with is his tendency to break things. I get the impulse to "test"...

How to Build and Maintain Friendships

Posted on 6/15/2024

Hello, how do I help my 7-year-old daughter maintain good friendships? She is homeschooled, so our main source of friends is in church or our homeschool co-op. She is pretty outgoing, but I’ve...

Posted on 5/27/2024

Our son 10 yrs. began pulling his hair out 6 months ago. Simultaneously began w/ sadness/crying spells. Later became aggression/violence. Bloodwork revealed several nutrition deficiencies. After...

Swim Team Dilemma for 6YO

Posted on 5/18/2024

My 6 year old son is refusing to participate in swim team, because he says it’s hard and I want to quit. In the past we’ve allowed him to quit activities, and he was told he would do swim team and...

Normal to explore

Posted on 5/18/2024

In the past couple of days I’ve noticed my 6 year old daughter playing with her nipple, or sometimes it’s her belly button. When I see it I usually tell her to stop. Should I be concerned or...

Moody Blues

Posted on 4/27/2024

Our 10-year-old son has started having huge mood swings. He gets easily angry, grumpy, and irritable. What is the best way to handle mood swings? We provide consequences for misbehavior, but how...

Time to get their attention

Posted on 4/20/2024

Hi I wrote in 10 days ago and never heard back. We’re struggling with bedtime. We have 2 girls, ages 5 and 3. We moved them into the same bedroom about a month ago. We read another response to...

Micro Mom-Ager Neighbor

Posted on 3/30/2024

We live on a street where there are a lot of kids. My boys, 9 and 11 years old, are outside all the time playing and my house tends to be the place where all the kids play. If my kids or other...

The Grass Really Isn’t Greener on the Other Side

Posted on 3/25/2024

My 10-year-old daughter seems always to think the grass is greener somewhere else. For example, we homeschool, which she enjoys, but often expresses her wish to return to regular school, and when...

Legal questions need legal answers

Posted on 3/20/2024

Our almost 7 year old son was caught fingering a 5 year old boy cousin in the butt. Our son said they both were doing this with each other and smelling their finger. Our son deeply regrets the...

Not Listening the First Time

Posted on 3/20/2024

We believe in the necessity of our children obeying the first time they are told-without challenge, delay or excuse. However, we also wish to walk the tightrope of a loving, nourishing home,...

Ask Me No Questions and I’ll Tell You No Lies

Posted on 3/8/2024

Lately, I’ve noticed my 6-year-old daughter telling lies. One day she was playing with her baby sister, and I suddenly heard the baby cry like she was in pain, so I figured she hurt herself in...

Time to Show you Mean Business

Posted on 3/7/2024

Hi! Today, after telling my 9 year old son no, he could not take Pokemon cards to school, he snuck them in his backpack and took them anyway. The teacher called me. She also told me he brought a...

Bluey Blues

Posted on 3/3/2024

I've discovered the Australian kids' show, Bluey. My 7-year-old boy knows about it and has seen some episodes. I'm skeptical of all things aimed at children. I've probably watched 8-10 episodes...

Choices for Children?

Posted on 2/28/2024

Hello, listening to John's podcast. Great stuff. When is it permissible to allow a child a choice? I understand John speaks against 'democratic' parenting but would be good to hear a podcast...

Fill His Glass

Posted on 2/23/2024

My 9-year-old son is very negative lately. He seems focused on the "bad" parts of the world. He is worried and frustrated about big problems in the world like destroying the environment, for...

Require Independent Play

Posted on 2/17/2024

We are trying to promote our kids to be more independent with regards to their play. They are all boys ages 9, 7 and 5. They can play independently, but still want me to play with them and often...

Teaching Manners to a Five-Year-Old

Posted on 2/7/2024

During a recent visit to a private school we are considering sending our daughter to, I found it difficult to have a conversation with the school staff due to my daughter's constant whining and...

Fostering Responsible Decision Making

Posted on 2/3/2024

Our 11 y/o son is in 5th grade at a private Christian school and we pay for him to have weekly trumpet lessons. He doesn't really practice though. I told him that if he wants to keep having mom...

Figure out how to not take it personally.

Posted on 1/29/2024

Hi, we have 4 children. Our oldest is 9 and adopted through foster care. Has been with us since a baby. She has had intermittent food issues like eating until she throws up as a toddler, but that...

Keep the Joy, Lose the Chatter

Posted on 1/25/2024

I have a 7 year old daughter, she should have been named Joy. Always happy, loves people. However, she has a tendency to talk incessantly, and never wants to be alone. She has friends, and cousins...

Help for HIgh Self-esteem Seizures

Posted on 1/24/2024

Six-year-old daughter has been kicked out of the garden twice for nighttime issues: screaming, throwing things, manipulating us to try to sleep with her or give her x,y,z. She was “kicked out” at...

How to use charts/tickets with 3 kids

Posted on 1/13/2024

How to decide to use chart or ticket system for 3 kids? 11 y/o and 9 y/o sons would have same misbehaviors #1 Do things 1st time asked #2 Clean up after yourself #3 Aggravating sibling (Sibling...

Victimhood by a 10 yro

Posted on 1/6/2024

Our son regularly makes excuses, assigns blame elsewhere, etc. when it comes to taking responsibilities for his decisions. He often plays the "poor me" or victim card. What are your best...

7 YO BEDTIME SOAP OPERA

Posted on 1/5/2024

Working on independent sleep 7.5 yo daughter. Follows bedtime routine and falls asleep in own bed. Is waking between Midnight & 5 am constantly. 2 years ago, I gave in and have been sleeping with...

How to Use the Ticket System for Misbehavior at Home

Posted on 1/2/2024

Hello, we have 2 adopted kids (9yr boy/12yr girl). Our son was diagnosed with ADHD by his school at the age of 6. He has an IEP. He is well-behaved at school. However, at home is a different...

Time for a Visit From the Doctor

Posted on 12/29/2023

I'm at a loss for direction. I tried lumping my kids together with a chart just to find how different they are. My 4 y/o loves to relentlessly antagonize my 5 y/o whiner, and my 7 y/o loves to...

Focusing on the right things

Posted on 12/1/2023

Our 8 y/o son (almost 9) was diagnosed a few yrs ago with ADHD and has an IEP. The interventions are not working - I'm not surprised. They say he lacks quality of work/effort and is easily...

Scary movie crisis.

Posted on 11/28/2023

My 7 year old son is afraid of a scary movie (Five Nights at Freddie's). Until 11/17, he had only seen the movie poster at a theater and some kids discuss it at school, which scared him enough as...

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