A harsh word or a moment of praise can make a significant difference in how a teenager’s personality develops. In fact, more than words, actions can affect the type of personality teens develop. Being aware of how parents can positively influence a child’s development is key when fostering healthy and happy teenagers.
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What is Worth Fighting For With Your Preteen?
Parenting a preteen can be tricky. When choosing your battles, keep in mind that children today are faced with pressure from friends, school and family, all while trying to navigate raging hormones and changing bodies, says Raquel Lefebvre, Vermont-based licensed psychologist. "Keeping this in mind when dealing with your child will help you come from a place of empathy, where you can work with them rather than against them," she says.
Tips for Parents to Get Through the Puberty Years
The puberty years can send parents and preteens on an emotional roller coaster ride. From wild mood swings and impatient moments to short fuses and temper tantrums, it’s likely the entire family will need to find ways to adjust and cope. How can you keep your sanity while also offering a supportive environment for your pubescent child? Education, communication and self-care should be a top priority for parents during this time.
Pleasing Kid Meals: EZ in No Time
Whether you're shuttling your kids to soccer practice or helping them with their homework, cleaning up messes or doing mountains of laundry, you've probably wished you could clone yourself just to get it all done. And that's before you've even started cooking dinner. If your attempts to make meals that appeal to the kids just leave you exhausted and frustrated with your children's reactions, a quick fix is on the horizon. These simple tips will allow you to serve your kids nutritious, delicious meals with minimal prep.
Teaching an Anxious Child Coping Techniques
While most children are inquisitive by nature, children who are anxious often take the concept of an inquiring mind to another level. They exhibit signs of stress, ask a lot of questions and sometimes even struggle with frequent headaches and stomachaches. “Anxious children are ‘what if’ kids,” says Dr. Tamar Chansky, Philadelphia-based psychologist and author of “Freeing Yourself from Anxiety.” “They think ahead, need to know all the details, worry about what’s going to happen and are saddled with an imagination that fills in the blanks with worst-case scenarios.” If your child is anxious on a regular basis, provide him with the tools and skills to cope with anxiety on his own and with the help of the entire family.
How to Talk to an Older Child About Divorce
When your family is coping with divorce, it’s important to keep the lines of communication open. Teens and older children often deal with a variety of thoughts and feelings that range from anger and betrayal to disappointment and sadness. “Teens and older children need to hear the truth about their parents’ feelings in their divorce, and it’s tricky, as parents need to disclose these feelings without being overly insulting to the other parent,” says Dr. John Duffy, Chicago-based psychotherapist and author of “The Available Parent.” Learning to acknowledge and validate your older child’s feelings will pave the way for a stronger relationship between you and your child.
Rules for Behavior Between Siblings
A sibling is often a blessing in disguise. He can be your best friend one moment and an archenemy the next. Sibling rivalry can get out of hand, though, when rules for behavior are not established early on. “Parents need to help their children establish rules and boundaries for how to get along with another,” says Dr. Nancy Buck, a Colorado-based developmental psychologist and author of “Peaceful Parenting.” Help your children work out their differences peacefully by establishing rules for behavior between siblings as a family.
The Effects of Divorce on Daughters
While divorce is never easy for a family to cope with, recognizing the effects on your children is an important step to recovery. Boys and girls typically have very different reactions and coping methods after divorce. Daughters, in particular, may experience anxiety, stress and even emotional turmoil as a result of her parents' split. From academic challenges to emotional adjustments, divorce is likely to affect your daughter in a variety of ways. “The reactions daughters have to the divorce of their parents can run the board, depending on factors as varied as the nature of and reasons for the divorce to the personality and age of the daughter herself,” says Dr. John Duffy, a Chicago-based psychotherapist and author of “The Available Parent.”
Back to School: Classes for Adults
You’ve decided to take the plunge and head back to school. Although this journey may seem a bit overwhelming at first, the good news is that you are probably more prepared than you think. “When adults return to college, they bring with them wisdom, experience, maturity, skills and knowledge that informs and enhances their educational experience,” says Karen Stevens, chief academic advisor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. With some research, planning and evaluation of your career goals, you will be ready for the first day back to school.
Teaching Kids Boundaries With Peers
Watching your child play with her peers can be an eye-opening experience. Is she sharing with others? Respecting her peers’ boundaries? “Being able to keep good boundaries with peers is essential for developing healthy self-esteem and friendships,” says Raquel Lefebvre, Vermont-based licensed psychologist. Help your child foster healthy friendships by teaching her about appropriate boundaries with role playing and activities that will enrich her understanding of herself and her peers.
Shannon Philpott-Sanders 