My 4 year old daughter likes to ignore my husband and me when we talk to her or ask her with help in a specific task. What do we need to change to try and stop this behavior? There is an excellent article already written on this topic called “How to get your Preschoolers to Listen & Respect You“. The …
Q&A: My 9 Year Old Son Has Low Self Esteem
My son is nine years old and seems to cry or act like he is hurt when playing sports or sometimes in school. These events seem to follow events where my son missed a play or didn’t get a tackle, or when he can’t figure out a math problem in class. We currently do not have academic concerns as he …
Q&A: How to Improve My Preschooler’s Articulation and Confidence?
My child age is 3 years old. My child is a bit shy; he does not open up with any new person nor does he play with any other new kid in the surrounding area. Currently he is going to nursery school but he does not talk to the teacher or to his classmates nor does he play with them. …
Q&A: 3 Year Old Has Apparent Separation Anxiety
I am seeking advice concerning the behavior of my son. He will be three years in a few months. He has been exhibiting a few red flag behaviors. He has not attended day care, and is not around other children on a regular basis. If he is in a setting with other children, he is very apprehensive at first, but …
Q&A: We Moved to a New Home and My Child is Acting Out
My 6 year old is literally out of control. You tell him not to do something and he does it anyways; you yell at him for something and he still does it. He keeps running and jumping onto our new $1,500 living room set; he leaves trash laying around; he is always being loud and he has peed on the …
Q&A: New Baby and Older Sibling is Acting Out
My niece just had another baby girl, and her other girl is 8 or 9 years old. We started to notice that she’s lying quite often and for no real reason. Is this normal? It would not be uncommon for a child of 8 or 9 to be acting out or showing jealousy in various ways (such as by lying) …
Q&A: How to Break A Comfort Habit?
My five year old daughter has a habit of playing with my elbow, that is, the skin over the elbow when its extended. She developed this habit around the time I weaned her off breast-milk, at about 13 months of age. Since then she has had the need to do this at the same time as sucking her own tongue. …
Q&A: My Child is Distracted at School and Not Doing Homework
I’ve been having some issues with my 8 year-old daughter. She’s having distraction problems in school and now is getting worse because she’s keeping things from us. She tells us that she’s done with her homework but then we realize that she didn’t finish everything. I’m very concerned and would like to get some help as I have talked to …
Q&A: My Child is Hyperactive
I am very concerned about my 2-year-old child. She is very hyperactive, she doesn’t respond to toys or other children, and she would rather be by herself. She only repeats what she hears, and doesn’t ask for what she wants. She can’t eat without assistance. She screams and hits. She is very unbalanced – falling a lot and running into …
Q&A: What is a Normal Attention Span?
I find everyone is quick to diagnose children with ADHD. I am a second grade teacher. Is there a “normal rule of thumb” for attention span? How long should a typical 7-8 year old be able to concentrate? I find teachers are lengthy in their lessons and explanations. How long should the child be expected to pay attention? Sometimes I …