By Dr. Lisa Firestone and Joyce Catlett Raising children can be one of the most challenging jobs in life; it certainly is one of the most important. Renowned British pediatrician/ psychoanalyst, Donald Winnicott once told a group of parents: “You are engaged in founding the mental health of the next generation.” Although, as parents,… Read more »
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Anyone can tell you that discipline is a messy business. Not even the best of parents could possibly get it right all the time. However, part of what complicates the process of teaching our kids to behave is that parents bring a lot of their own baggage to the table. Kids can be a big… Read more »
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What is a parent to do when they ask their child “What happened” and are met with “I don’t remember”, “I didn’t do it” or “I don’t know?” This can be very frustrating when we are trying to work out skirmishes between siblings and are confounded by such evasive responses. These responses thwart our goals… Read more »
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Understanding, preventing, and effectively treating violence Seeing an image of a violent adult, it’s hard to imagine the innocent baby they once were. Is there such thing as being born violent? Are there really “bad seeds” when it comes to a human life? Like so many qualities, violence involves a real interaction between genetics and… Read more »
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Author and humorist Erma Bombeck once wrote, “When my kids become wild and unruly, I use a nice, safe playpen. When they’re finished, I climb out.” As parents, we all have moments when we would like to hide away, avoid confrontation, and wait for the quiet that follows the storm. Parenting is an incredible challenge,… Read more »
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Dealing with your kids’ tantrums and mood swings can be one of parenting’s most frustrating challenges. From public meltdowns to prolonged fits, these extreme outbursts of emotion have the capacity to provoke extreme reactions in us. Methods that are effective in dealing with the child’s natural expressions of anger or frustration don’t work in this… Read more »
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Every new parent experiences that first terrifying moment: your baby is screaming, not crying, screaming. You try to feed him. You check his diaper. You try to make him warmer, cooler, calmer, more comfortable, but to no avail. The complete mystery of this precious 8 pound, non-speaking creature rises to your consciousness, and, all at once,… Read more »
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Amy Chua, a professor of law at Yale University, recently published a book describing her strict child-rearing techniques and experiences titled Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (Penguin Press, 2011). Chua, a mother of two daughters, ascribes to a traditional Chinese parenting style that demands nothing short of perfection from her children: allowing nothing below… Read more »
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When it comes to parenting, perfection is an unrealistic goal. As much as we would all like to be emotionally attuned and sensitive to our children 100 percent of the time, even the best parents are prone to losing control and overreacting in times of stress. Many of us have witnessed or experienced the scene… Read more »
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The age when children begin to take their first steps toward independence happens to be the same age when they are just taking their first steps. With toddlers, this new combination of strong curiosity and shaky coordination can keep a parent literally on their toes. Whether eating off the floor or reaching for something hot,… Read more »
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