Mind Positive Parenting
Many parents and caregivers feel alone in their struggles yet we all share similar joys, frustrations, and concerns. Sharing your questions in community not only adds tangible strategies to your parenting tool kit, but also helps restore your confidence. It reminds us that children and adolescents are not a problem to be solved, but an adventure to be lived.
Submit a question to Dr. Dave's team or read through previous questions and add your thoughts and insights! We will answer you on our blog.
Sign up for our email updates to get monthly digests of the best questions, tips, and more!
Posted by Erin Walsh • June 13 • No Comments
"Moot!" my son exclaimed happily. "More moot!" In order to make sure that he got his message through to me he proudly showed me his empty milk glass. I reassured him that I would return to the dining room with more milk after I checked in on dinner simmering on the stove. For a thirsty two-year-old, "right back" can feel like an eternity.
My son happily gulped down the milk upon my...
More...Posted by Erin Walsh • May 10 • No 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...Posted by Erin Walsh • April 29 • 1 Comment
Want your child to succeed in school and life? Then look beyond IQ scores and test results. We've written before about the importance of self-discipline, but the story doesn't end there. A whole host of mental skills—constituting what is called executive function--determine how as opposed to what...
More...Dr. Dave and Erin Walsh • March 11 • 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...Dr. Dave Walsh and Erin Walsh • February 14 • No Comments
Are children born hardwired to act a certain way? Or is it their life experiences that shape the way their brains grow and develop? Scientists spent a long time trying to settle the old "nature vs. nurture" debate. As it turns out, the debate was grounded by a false premise - that we had to choose. We know now that both nature AND...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • January 31 • No Comments
Dr. Dave,
Do you still have a link to "screen time coupons?" I heard you speak about it years ago and would love to re-read and use the coupons.
Thanks, Lisa, Minneapolis, MN
Lisa,
More and more parents, teachers, pediatricians, and other professionals are worried about the amount...
More...Posted by Erin Walsh • January 21 • 1 Comment
I wasn't sure why my eighteen-month-old son Miles was squirming to get out of my arms, but he hit the kitchen floor running and was off to the far corner of the living room. We had just been looking at the big pot of soup simmering on the stove. I had pointed out the onions, carrots, and....he was off before I could get to the potatoes.
I kept one eye on Miles while continuing to stir...
More...Posted by Erin Walsh • January 17 • No Comments
"I just don't get it!" Sighed a dad I spoke to last week. "We have talked about this over and over again. She knows better!"
He was referring to his daughter's online foray into posting pictures that she probably shouldn't have. The pictures weren't wildly inappropriate - but taken out of context it sounded like this dad definitely was justified in his concern that they were...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • January 9 • 3 Comments
“Goodnight, kittens, and Goodnight mittens…
Goodnight stars, Goodnight air, Goodnight noises everywhere.”
These are but a few of the melodic and soothing verses that stir warm childhood memories for millions around the world. Good Night Moon isn’t a book....
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • December 14, 2012 • No Comments
The details of the Boston Marathon bombings are shaking families across the country. This violent high profile event will likely dominate news headlines for weeks. Though few of us were at the finish line, the event may cause children to fear that an event like this could happen to them. All of us, including our children, are dealing with...
More...Posted by Erin Walsh • December 10, 2012 • 1 Comment
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 • December 4, 2012 • No Comments
I have written my fair share of articles about the negative impact of violent, hypersexualized video games on kids. One of the basic premises of my argument has always been that video games are incredible teachers. In the case of first person shooter games, one of the primary lessons is violence. But of course what video games teach...
More...Posted by Erin Walsh • November 30, 2012 • 1 Comment
Holiday madness has already begun! I can't go anywhere without one of my kids asking for me to buy her something and the other is constantly amending her mile-long christmas list. The spirit of the season feels like it is lost on our girls. Help!
You are not alone. Parents everywhere started bracing themselves for the onslaught of holiday advertising...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • November 13, 2012 • No Comments
My daughter seems to be "dating" a different boy every few months. She is in high school and we have talked a lot about respectful relationships etc.. and she seems to be doing all this okay but she doesn't seem to stay in relationships very long. Should I be worried?
Thanks,
Sue, Kentucky
... More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • October 11, 2012 • 1 Comment
Dr. Walsh mentioned an ACE assessment in his keynote address at the Great Kids Make Great Communities conference in Ft. Wayne, IN on October 4, 2012. I was wondering if I could get a hold of that assessment or more information.
Thanks, Andrea, Ft. Wayne, IN
Andrea,
Thanks for your questions. Let me give other folks a bit of background....
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • September 18, 2012 • No Comments
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 • 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...
More...Dr. Dave Walsh and Erin Walsh • June 25, 2012 • 2 Comments
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...Posted by Erin Walsh • June 11, 2012 • No Comments
It seems like every conversation I have with my thirteen year old ends in a fight. I try to keep my cool but even then my daughter acts like I am the worst mom in the world. Any suggestions? Why is this happening so much more with my daughter than my 8 year old son?
Sally, Wisconsin
Sally,
At the end of a conversation with your...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • June 1, 2012 • 2 Comments
My daughter is 7 years old. She is having a hard time hearing the word "no", and always has. My daughter frequently melts down and has a tantrum, yells etc. We do not back down, but constantly have to move into consequences, which result in the tantrum escalating, it is exhausting. We try to keep a cool head. ... I do not know whether she is just tired, this...
More...Dr. Dave Walsh and Erin Walsh • May 31, 2012 • 1 Comment
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...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • May 21, 2012 • 1 Comment
I am worried that my daughter has started drinking with her friends and am scared to death about what might happen. My daughter tells me that some of the parents at her school are hosting parties so that they can keep the kids "safe" and away from driving. That seems crazy to me. Any advice on what to do?
Susana,...
More...Michele Fallon • May 14, 2012 • No 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...
More...Posted by Erin Walsh • May 10, 2012 • No Comments
Does this sound familiar?
You are driving your daughter and her two friends to a soccer game and the car is unusually quiet. They must be mentally preparing for the big game, you think. How nice. You maintain this illusion until you hit the first long red light at which point you glance into the back seat. Far from calm, the girls' thumbs are getting the workout of a lifetime. "Who are...
More...Posted by Erin Walsh • April 27, 2012 • No Comments
Have you seen the Caine's Arcade video? My son just showed me it and what an incredible demonstration of imagination! Just thought you all would enjoy it.
Jill, Chicago
Jill,
The Caine's Arcade video has gone viral online and it is easy to see why. For those of you who haven't watched it, check it...
More...