My kids saw on the news that a man killed people in a movie theater, and they are afraid now. What do I tell them?
Everyone watched with total sorrow and confusion as this horrific story unfolded and about all of the lives lost in a Colorado movie theater. It is tough to watch, but also hard to pull ourselves away from viewing this tragedy. That, of course, leaves our kids in the middle of it, seeing what we are […]
Why a mom would glue her toddler’s hands over toilet learning?
A toddler is on life support after her 22-year-old mother glued her daughter’s hands to a wall, kicked her in the stomach and beat her over a potty training issue, Dallas police said. This horrifying story seems impossible to imagine to most of us parents, but truthfully learning to use the toilet can be one […]
My sister’s son always hits my daughter. Please help Dr. Ann!
This is a question that came up during a Mommy & Me class that I was conducting at Capistrano Valley School District last week: “What should I do if another family member’s child is hitting my child (or playing aggressively)?” It’s certainly sad for parents to watch a more aggressive child continue to beat up […]
What Makes a Memorable Mom? Moms sticking up for Moms!
It’s a mom who doesn’t do everything right all the time. It’s feeling guilty about how she talked to her kids. It’s wishing she could just ‘get away’ sometimes. It’s wishing she parented better than her mom did. It’s praying that her children get through tough stages. It’s second-guessing if her ‘gut’ instincts are right. […]
Mother’s Day Photo Contest ENTER TO WIN!
In celebration of Mother’s Day, we’d love for you to post a photo of your Mom on The Parenting Doctor’s Facebook page. Tell us in the post what you love about her, why she is special, or how she made a difference in your life. All submissions will be entered into a drawing to win […]
What happened to Amanda Beard, Olympic medalist at age 14?
She didn’t know how to deal with the way she was feeling! Most of us will never experience the thrill of winning an Olympic medal, but we all can imagine we’d be on-top-of-the-world with excitement if we did win! So why then did Amanda Beard reveal to the world in her newly released book, “In […]
Hunger Games – Talking to your Teens
Question: The Hunger Games is the ultimate in terrifying teens, it’s an abuse of power by adults, it’s the neglect of children, just to name a few of the awful parts of this film. But, if you take a second to think about how all this awfulness is brought to the big screen I think […]
School’s Started BUT Kid’s Don’t Want to GO!
The age-old question parents’ deal with every year is why don’t my kids want to go back to school? There are lots of reasons why kids cling to their parents when being dropped off in kindergarten or 1st grade or just “say” they don’t want to go to middle school or even get tearful when […]
What do a sassy 7 yr. old, bossy 10 yr. old and a stubborn 16 yr. old have in common?
All of these equal a child who is aggressively trying to ask their parents’ questions. Questions like, what will my parents do if I give them an attitude with either my words or my expressions, like rolling my eyes when they ask me to do something? The good news is this behavior is normal, but […]
Why Mother’s Aren’t Fathers and Shouldn’t Be!
Mothers, have you ever wondered why the father of your children doesn’t seem to be watching them even though you’ve asked if he would? You walk into the family room and Dad’s watching the football on T.V. while your child has wondered off alone to the opposite side of the room. The next conversation may […]