Asking Questions. Our children are smarter than we give them credit for. We are so worried that they are not going to do what is right, or we are in such a hurry that it just seems easier to give our children marching orders. But asking them questions is a far more effective teaching tool. […]
A received the following question in an email from a parent: “Our son is three years old and for the past three months he has not been sleeping well. Depending on the night, it can take numerous attempts to get him to go to sleep and then when he does, he wakes up every 3 […]
Over the past years there have been many debates and controversy discussions around what Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is? Furthermore how it is diagnosed and what are all the options to treating the disorder? The definition of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been updated in the fifth edition of the […]
At the end of this month, the country’s latest cohort of aspiring matriculants will begin to write the 2016 National Senior Certificate examinations, the most important, and probably the most ‘knife-edge’ experience of their education so far. It is a six-week event that doesn’t just test what these South African teens have learnt and mastered […]
First of all, it’s not just moms. It seems to be whoever the female primary caregiver is; grandmothers, stepmoms, foster moms, adoptive moms and others. Believe it or not, when you learn what causes this, you may feel delighted that it happens to you. Here’s a typical scenario; the kids are home with mom and […]
If you’ve said no firmly and you’re child is wearing you down, avoid doing what many parent do when they are tired and overworked; giving in just to stop the pleading and begging. Doing so might stop the noise that’s adding to your stress, but it will also teach your child to repeat this behavior […]
First Comfort the Victim. The next time you witness younger children fighting or hurting one another, your first response should be to comfort the victim without pity or drama. If possible, you should also include the aggressive child in comforting of the victim. Ask him to retrieve a cloth, a blanket, or even a […]
What’s the one job in the world, that doesn’t pay a cent, has no formal working hours and doesn’t offer you any time off? You may have guessed it, parenting! Despite what the critics might say, parenting is by far the most influential position you’ll ever find yourself in. The perks of watching your kids […]
When I deliver a live parent lecture, I sometimes ask my audience to raise their hand if their parents used punishment when they misbehaved. Most hands go up, revealing that punishment was a common parenting tool back in the day. Since that time, society has determined that punitive treatment of our children is no longer […]
Punishment is a tool designed to make a child “pay for what they did” and to feel bad about the way they acted. The belief is that the bad feeling will stick with them and motivate them to not repeat the behaviour or action. But punishment has side effects that can create more problems for […]
