Sleep Training. By the time my son Lucas was 10 months old, bedtime was nothing short of a nightmare.
We rocked. We nursed. We danced. I patted, stroked, and caressed. I held my breath as I tiptoed backward to the door, circumventing the creaky floorboards. Enter Kim West, a child and family therapist in Annapolis, MD, who specializes in helping weary parents get their kids to sleep. Our first phone interview lasted an hour and a half, and during it, West cleared up one of the great conundrums of parenting: Why do kids seem to be more wired the less shut-eye they get?
But that still didn't 100 percent explain why I couldn't get Lucas to sleep -- and have him stay there. Before I could get started, though, West gave us some goals. Maura Rhodes is a contributing editor at Parenting and a mom of four. Destination: Dreamland That was all good in theory, but we were dealing with Lucas here. Give him a room of his own. Coping with the Tears The Plan in Action. Babble.com - For a new generation of parents. Parenting: Don't Praise Your Children! Please be prepared.
I'm going to go on a bit of rant now. I just can't hold it in any longer. I see parents doing this constantly and it's killing me because they know not what they do and they are actually hurting their children's development. What am I referring to? It's praise, that's what I'm talking about. Okay, here goes. What's the problem with "Good job? " Let's start with the purpose of praise: to encourage children to continue to engage in positive behaviors that produce positive outcomes. Unfortunately, many parents have been misguided by the "self-esteem movement," which has told them that the way to build their children's self-esteem is to tell them how good they are at things. The reality is that children don't need to be told "good job! " Research has shown that how you praise your children has a powerful influence on their development. Too much praise of any sort can also be unhealthy. Particularly with young children, you don't need to praise them at all.
Parenting: How NOT to Raise Spoiled Brats. By Jim Taylor, Ph.D.
In my last post , I described what I have seen as a rise in spoiled and fiscally irresponsible brats among both wealthy and less affluent families. Several commenters suggested that it's impossible to not raise spoiled brats in a moneyed family, in particular, because it is such an ever-present and influential force in these children's lives. Yes, I have known and worked with moneyed families (and those who aspire thus) who absolutely spoiled their children rotten and the kids are the worse for it. At the same time, I have known and worked with other families of means who raised children who were respectful, responsible, caring, and compassionate, and who were making real contributions to the world. What distinguishes these two groups is not the dollar figure on line 37 of IRS Form 1040; both are large.
So, the question is: how can parents avoid raising spoiled brats and develop fiscally responsible children who have healthy relationships with money? Chores Allowances. Craft for Kids: Melted Crayon Canvas Art - Heidi Klum on AOL - StumbleUpon.