I’m privileged to receive a steady stream of questions from parents about various issues (and regret not being able to answer them all). The most common dilemma by far is discipline. Loving, thoughtful parents simply want to know how to give their kids healthy limits and boundaries, but this area of parenting is fraught with [...]
Tweeters Share Ways to Help Kids Express Their Feelings
December 5, 2012 | Posted by
Feelings are meant to be shared and emotions are meant to be recognized. Children are in the process of learning how to express those feelings and each child does so differently. The important thing is that they do and that they are heard. At a recent Mom It Forward Twitter #gno party, sponsored by Daniel [...]
Supporting Your Child’s Socio-Emotional Development
December 4, 2012 | Posted by
Education consultant Jennifer Miller has launched a wonderful, valuable new blog site for parents, Confident Parents, Confident Kids that I think merits the attention of anyone working in social, emotional and character development who wants a place to send parents for ideas and advice and dialogue. As she says, “The purpose of the blog is [...]
Helping Perfectionist Kids Take the Pressure Off Themselves
December 1, 2012 | Posted by
Dear Dr. Borba, My ten-year-old is first in her class, and it makes her nuts. She stayed up until one in the morning last night memorizing state capitals. I worry that if she keeps up this pace she’ll have a nervous breakdown. She is a great kid, smart as a whip with an IQ in [...]
Give Yourself Permission to Relax This Holiday Season
November 30, 2012 | Posted by
‘Tis officially the season and that means lots of things for moms out there: shopping, wrapping, donating, cookie baking, memory-making… so I am here to add another thing to your list: relaxing. You heard me right; rest is a requirement amidst the chaos. And the good news is that you have every right to put [...]
The Secrets to Raising Financially Independent Kids
November 29, 2012 | Posted by
Most parents eagerly look forward to the day when they see their kids spread their wings, fly the coop and soar on their own volition to financial independence. Here are 8 secrets for helping to do just that. Secret #1 Create a Budget This may be foreign to most kids and even to some parents. [...]
7 Character Traits to Instill in Kids That Are Key to Success
November 25, 2012 | Posted by
What if a child’s success in school were measured not in IQ but in strength of character? That’s the question Paul Tough tries to answer in his book, How Children Succeed—Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. Education is once again a hot-button issue this fall, as many provincial governments trim their education budgets [...]
How to Motivate Your Child to Learn
November 24, 2012 | Posted by
Do you have a child who comes home with failing grades year after year—or straight C’s when you know he could get A’s? You assume, based on his abilities, that he should be more successful in school. It’s enough to drive you crazy—especially because you know how important it is for him to do well [...]
3 Skills to Help Children Gain Social Competence
November 23, 2012 | Posted by
All children are turned down by friends–even the most popular kids! Researchers found in a study of second and third graders that 26 percent of the time, even the most well-liked children in the class were told they couldn’t join groups already playing. Be sure to tell your child before he attempts to join a [...]
Bedtime Math: An Innovative Way to Build Your Child’s Confidence, Competence
November 22, 2012 | Posted by
For many parents with young children, the bedtime routine is a firmly entrenched system involving a warm bath, a good book, a kiss and a hug. Toying with that equation borders on sacrilege, but Laura Overdeck thinks it’s time to make room for a math problem alongside the nightly story. In February, the high-tech consultant-turned-stay-at-home [...]
