Mind Positive Parenting
Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • June 13, 2016 • 1 Comment
Many parents drag their feet into the dreaded "sex talk" with their children. Maybe it's time we take the pressure off of that single talk. If we want the sex and relationships our children ultimately have to be physically, psychologically, and emotionally healthy then we'd better start talking to them about it early and often.
Some parents don't talk to their kids about sex...
More...Posted by Erin Walsh • April 29, 2016 • 4 Comments
“Sometimes I feel like my kids are out of control,” worried one parent. Another quickly added, “My daughter knows just how to push my buttons.” A third chimed in with, “I’m always in a power struggle with...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • December 10, 2015 • 3 Comments
Holiday spirit or holiday madness?
It is December and the holidays are in full swing. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or something else, the break from school and work can be a great opportunity for...
More...Kiyah Duffey, Ph.D. • July 7, 2015 • No Comments
I have been cooking with my parents since I was a kid. Usually this involved sitting on the counter tasting the cookie dough batter (yes, with raw egg!), but not always. Sometimes I also helped by licking the brownie mix from the...
More...Kiyah Duffey, Ph.D. • June 29, 2015 • No Comments
This may come as a surprise, but the goal to “eat a variety of foods” is the hardest one for me to implement in my house. Introducing new foods can be met with skepticism (or outright displeasure or disgust) and personally I find it frustrating to spend time making a meal to have everyone turn their noses up at it. Eating a variety of foods also means that I have to continually...
More...Kiyah Duffey, Ph.D. • June 29, 2015 • No Comments
When babies are born they are extremely attuned to their internal signals of hunger and fullness. When they are hungry they know, and they will let you know too! They also know when they are full, and they stop eating. This ability is so fine-tuned that - if left to determine their own intake - they will eat to within a few calories of their energy intake from the previous day.
... More...Kiyah Duffey, Ph.D. • June 23, 2015 • No Comments
Thinking about how to raise healthy children runs in the family, so it’s no surprise that when I started having kids I did a lot of reading, thinking, and talking about parenting. In...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • March 27, 2014 • No Comments
“The intervention came one night during dinner,” a friend recently told me, “when my four-year-old son pleaded, ‘Dad, would you please put that away? I’m trying to talk to you.’” He hesitated before adding, “I knew my cell phone use was out of control because the next night I snuck into the bathroom during dinner to check my messages so he...
More...Posted by Erin Walsh • February 11, 2014 • 1 Comment
"Respectful. Caring. Intelligent. Courageous. Hard working. Empathetic. Confident. Humble. Kind."
One of my favorite ways to start a parenting workshop I facilitate on limits and consequences is to ask parents to close their eyes and envision their children-turned-adults. "What kind of people do you hope your kids become?"
To be clear, when I ask this question I am not...
More...By guest blogger Shawna Hedlund, M.P.H. • September 4, 2013 • No Comments
Today my second child went off to kindergarten. He wore the blue plaid “kindergarten shirt” his big brother wore on his first day. When he boarded the bus and sat down, the window revealedonly a blond tuft and his little...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • August 5, 2013 • No Comments
"Dad, Andy just called and his family is heading out to dinner and he wants to know if I can come. Can I?" My son Brian asked.
"That sounds fun but you promised to clean up the basement today." I responded.
"Dad, Andy is leaving for the summer this weekend and this is my chance to see him. Can I clean the basement tomorrow?"
"Do we have a deal that you'll get it cleaned...
More...Posted by Erin Walsh • June 27, 2013 • No Comments
“My kids constantly move from one activity to the next - except when it comes to TV. Should I be worried when my 5 year old just sits and stares at the screen?”
Seth, St. Louis
When TV was still a fairly new pastime for kids, researchers coined the term "zombie effect" to describe the glassy-eyed, TV-induced trance familiar to...
More...Posted by Erin Walsh • May 10, 2013 • 2 Comments
We live in a world that begs our attention and engagement at every turn. Even as I settle in to write this blog post, Ping! A new email; Beep! someone posted on my Facebook timeline; Bzzz. my phone alerts me to a text even though I've put it on vibrate in a weak attempt to avoid incoming distractions.
Given all these temptations, it is amazing that I am still here typing away. Thank...
More...Dr. Dave and Erin Walsh • March 11, 2013 • No Comments
Dr. Dave, I am having a problem with my eleven year old son. It seems like all we do is argue and I am tired. I try to explain what I am doing in terms of my parenting decisions and why I am doing it but it never ends. He is so strong willed but I am the parent. He needs to listen to me. Help!
Scott, Tulsa
Scott, You are not alone! For lots of...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • March 11, 2013 • No Comments
Posted by Erin Walsh • December 10, 2012
Being introduced as a "parenting expert" before speaking engagements always feels a bit uncomfortable. It is not because I don't think that I bring value to parents. I am passionate about the information I get to share. I delight in reading and translating research on child and youth development and I have seen it give parents more confidence. But parenting is probably the vocation in which no...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • November 13, 2012
I just wrote a post about the brain science behind falling in love. Whether your child is just starting dating or in a longer term relationship - here are some thing to keep in mind as you talk with your teenager about romance:
Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • September 24, 2012
We are just beginning to understand how amazingly complex the human brain is. While each brain is completely unique to its owner, brains share general commonalities and similar functions. Some children, however, are born with brains that are wired differently from those of most kids. Not better or worse, just different.
Kids with...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • September 18, 2012
Before I had a teenager I used to joke that my kids will someday be mortified to be seen with me! I knew it was coming - it just doesn't feel good now that it is here. My 16 year old daughter wants NOTHING to do with me but I don't want to give up on our relationship. Help!
Margarite, CA
Margarite, Having raised three kids I...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • August 23, 2012
Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • August 23, 2012 • 1 Comment
I have two boys 16 and 12. One is very introverted and the other is VERY extroverted and exuberant. They really push each other's buttons. The older one is very condescending and the younger one is really silly and obnoxious. They FIGHT ALL THE TIME and it is really getting to a crescendo in that my husband and I are starting to have a lot of conflict over this matter. ...
More...Dr. Dave Walsh and Erin Walsh • June 25, 2012
Dr. Dave and Erin,
Our seven year old daughter has been lying a bit lately. One night her toothbrush lay on the sink with toothpaste still on it; clearly she had not brushed her teeth. We asked her if she had brushed them and she said "Yes! I did!"
It's become a bad pattern of her making a poor...
More...Dr. Dave Walsh and Erin Walsh • May 31, 2012
We just wrote a post about the importance of feeding your kids brain food. Here are some tips for getting these foods into your family's food life:
Dr. Dave Walsh and Erin Walsh • May 31, 2012
I have heard you talk a lot about the importance of experience in brain development but as a certified nutrition I think it is important to talk about food too. Thoughts?
Kathy, Nebraska
Kathy,
We all know now that nutritious food builds strong bodies. But as you note in your question, they build strong brains too!
Our brains take...
More...Michele Fallon • May 14, 2012 • 2 Comments
I am looking for a good technique to stop my 5 yr old from hitting me when he doesn't get his way. I usually use the 1-2-3 counting and then time out in his room, but find for hitting it doesn't work well, because I am not going to let him hit me 3 times so it is 3 straight to his room, but in these situations he seems to continue to melt down and will hit me when he...
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