Yesterday I went to watch a baseball game with my best friend to see her son play, and because we were with a four-year-old and a soon to be four-year-old, I had the opportunity to watch maybe one inning. The park by the field was way too enticing for our other children and all they wanted to do was play. I volunteered to take them, I’m not going to lie, I wanted the opportunity to check twitter, and write a few notes for my blog. As soon as we arrived at the park there were two boys horsing around with some girls that were sitting under the monkey bars playing house, the girls ages ranged from four to ten. It was the classic let’s bother the girls, try-to-impress-them innocent teasing.
Let me start off by saying that it’s not that I don’t like kids; it’s just that some kids can really push the limits and that some parents just don’t know how to parent.
As I caught up on the daily news stories involving the Anthony Weiner’s indiscretions, Senator Edwards mess, the ridiculous Jesse James and the Arnold Schwarzenegger infidelities, I began to wonder about their parents - because as sure as some rowdy frat boy doing a tequila shooter in Cancun, we know these parents didn’t raise their children with the thought of “I can’t wait till the day my son texts his penis to a 24-year-old college student” or “I wonder when little Susie is going flash her bits to the world, that will be really special."
Question: I have a 2 year old little girl who has had hearing problems before, and this past October she had tubes put into her ears. Her vocabulary and her speech have improved greatly. I am just wondering what I can do to discipline her. If I tell her to do something she tells me no, she screams, throws herself to the ground and she just won't listen.
At the end of the day, some moms count up all the times they’ve had to nag or remind or discipline their children. Don’t hit your brother. Stop picking your nose. Stop talking back. Don’t fart at the table. Wash your hands. Pull your pants up. Don’t disobey. Listen the first time. Say ‘hi’ to the lady and look her in the face. Don’t use the toilet lid as your own basketball hoop backboard. Don’t, don’t, don’t, stop, stop, stop.
By attuning your ears to your child’s social environment, parents can learn to listen to what a child is not saying as well as what he is saying. Keep in mind that the top three influences on your child’s behavior and feelings are family, school, and friends. If something is amiss with your child - if he acts out, becomes moody and sad, or has trouble finishing his schoolwork - learn to discover the source of the problem in your child’s social context.
1) Hear What They Are Afraid To Tell You
Water plays an important role in keeping your child hydrated. While other fluids, such as soda pops, fruit juices and milk, may help provide the necessary fluids, they may also supply additional ingredients, such as sugar, artificial colorings and fat. Encouraging your child to drink plain water can help to limit his intake of unnecessary ingredients and keep his body hydrated.
For families experiencing extreme stress relative to behavior issues, behavioral family intervention offers a long-term, therapeutic approach. Many parent training programs offered through social service agencies, educational programs and private counselors utilize aspects of behavioral family intervention to treat everything from severely disruptive behavior to mental health issues. Some clients utilize these programs for years, while others attend a few sessions to acquire the tools to do a more self-directed program.
Good communication skills are essential for adults and children. Learning how to express feelings, ideas and needs may come naturally to some kids, while others must struggle to make themselves understood. Teaching good communication skills to your child, regardless of his age, can help prepare him for success as an adult.
Many assume that depression is an adult malady that can not impact younger children; however, as the Pamela Paul reported in the New York Times (2010), children as young as preschool age can suffer from depression. If your preschool child appears to move through bouts of extreme unhappiness, preschool depression could be to blame. To ensure that she doesn't suffer from this mental anguish any longer than necessary, be attentive to her suffering and seek to determine whether depression is at the root.
