Many young girls struggle to be accepted by their peers. One day they have a friend, only to find that the next day they are left out. Many girls feel they have to be a certain way or look a certain way, and if they don't, they will lose the few friends they have. 

The frightening reality is that girls start to feel this social pressure in pre-school and kindergarten!

 

Although this behavior can be developmentally normal, it can also be damaging. Many girls ...

Posted on February 15, 2013 at 6:00 AM by Jill Hope

A nightmare scenario for many of us parents is when our child loses it at the store, in a restaurant, at the park. Your child starts screaming or worse yet, starts throwing things, and you worry that strangers are thinking what a terrible parent you must be! What do you do now?

First, remember that most parents have experienced something like this, and unless you become overly aggressive with your child, most parents will not be angry with you but empathiz...

Posted on January 22, 2013 at 6:00 AM by David Gottlieb

You start cooking in the kitchen after checking that Amy and Adam are playing nicely in the next room. Suddenly, your little Amy is running to you with teary eyes. When you ask her what happens, Amy says that her older brother Adam pushed her. You find Adam’s concerned look in the next room. He admits that he pushes Amy but begins to cry when you put him in a time-out chair. You overhear from him, “I hate Amy. It is not fair.”   

You may face this kind of si...

Posted on November 27, 2012 at 6:00 AM by Allison Levine

When your child is clingy, tearful, anxious, and stressed, how do you offer your best caregiving?  This is a challenge that parents face on a regular basis when they have a child with anxiety.  Children who are anxious are challenging for even the “best” parents.  How can caregivers help kids maintain a healthy level of functioning when they are anxious because of traumatic events, transitions, emotional overloads, or everyday life?  Come learn some relation...

Posted on October 29, 2012 at 6:00 AM by Allison Levine

When my children were in preschool, it seemed I was always one step behind my kids when it came to discipline.

"No jumping on the couch!” “Stop fighting!” and  “Put your brother down!!!” My kids always seemed to have a "reason" for their misbehavior,  ie., "I’m not jumping", "he started it", and "he likes it". 

So any “no, don’t or stop” from me cultivated an argument &...

Posted on October 25, 2012 at 7:00 AM by Tuesday's Child

Ever wanted to say, “Stop screaming!” or  "Just get over it!” to your angry child?  Angry outbursts, temper tantrums, mean words, aggression, refusing to comply, back talk, and the silent treatment can really push parents’ buttons.  One of our greatest challenges and responsibilities is to teach children ways to manage their anger appropriately and develop the necessary coping skills.

Guidelines:

Remain calm.  Feeling angry is ok...

Posted on October 17, 2012 at 8:00 AM by Karen Jacobson

Your patience is running low, your frustration is running high, and your kid is running everywhere!  We’ve all had bad days when we’ve used up everything in our bag of tricks and nothing seems to calm the craziness.  Managing your child’s difficult behavior can be overwhelming, especially when it is a constant battle.  Often when children aren’t behaving well on the outside, they aren’t feeling well on the inside.  If time-outs and other tr...

Posted on September 13, 2012 at 6:00 AM by Allison Levine

Do you become frustrated when your young child ignores your instructions?  Does this lead to arguments and stress at home?  Psychologists have researched how small changes in the way you give children directions can produce significant changes in how often they follow them.  Here are five helpful steps to remember:

1.  Decide if your request is important. Parents have to prioritize the importance of the requests that they make, especially with children who misbehave...

Posted on September 04, 2012 at 6:00 AM by Steven Meyers

Have you ever been behind the wheel during a snowstorm? Imagine you are driving in a complete whiteout that keeps getting worse and worse until you can barely even see the lights from the car in front of you. You start to feel panicked, anxious and frustrated. These are the same emotions that children feel when they cannot see what is in front of them: that is they don’t know what boundaries to expect and cannot predict consequences for their actions or rules to keep them safe. This ...

Posted on March 29, 2012 at 6:37 AM by Melanie Arons

Are you Tired of Time-Outs?   Discipline in the Theraplay Spirit

Your patience is running low, your frustration is running high, and your kid is running everywhere!  Managing your child’s difficult behavior can be overwhelming, especially if it is a constant battle.  Often when children aren’t behaving well on the outside, they aren’t feeling well on the inside.

Thanks to those NPN Parents who attended the “Are You Tired of Time-Outs?&rdq...

Posted on March 12, 2012 at 7:00 AM by Allison Levine