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.
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Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • February 15 • 1 Comment
What are your thoughts on allowance?
Gina, San Francisco Bay Area
I hear variations of this question all the time. Are allowances a good idea? Should they be tied to chores? How much? When should you start?
Parents hear all sorts of conflicting information on kids and allowance. Since there is no research on the...
More...Dr. Dave and Erin Walsh • February 13 • No Comments
Does the gain from advanced academic programs such as IB and AP so many youth are involved in (pushed by educators and parents) outweigh the lack of sleep and limitation of other experiences, such as 4-H, because of so much time spent on studying?
Shirley, Denver, CO
Shirley,
I think that the growing popularity of IB and AP...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • February 3 • No Comments
Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • February 2 • No Comments
I have a teenage son who enjoys listening to music. Some of the lyrics have positive messages, others are not so impressive. Can you give me some ideas of how to talk with him about music choices?
Amy, St. Paul, MN
Amy,
Music has been a battleground for parents and teenagers for many...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • February 2 • No Comments
Are parents super selective in their memory recall such that they don't remember poor decisions they made when they were teenagers?
Shirley, Denver, CO...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • January 26 • No Comments
I just wrote responded to a parent concerned about video game addiction. Use this inventory in conjunction with the Video Game Addiction Symptom Checklist to see if your child might need help.
Check each statement you agree with.
____I’d rather play video games than be with my friends....
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • January 26 • No Comments
I believe my 14-year-old son is addicted to video games. The cons far out weigh the pros. He throws tantrums, is verbally abusive, at times destroys property, is socially isolated, has weight gain, and is quitting other activities. Is it possible that he for whatever reason cannot handle any playing time? I am ready to take it out of our home. Setting limits seems to just lead...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • January 26 • No Comments
Are you worried about your child's video game habits? Take a look at this video game addiction symptoms checklist I created to see if you have cause for alarm. While this is not a diagnostic tool, it can help you assess whether or not games are an unhealthy part of your child's life and if you might need the help of a professional.
(Scoring...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • January 23 • No Comments
My daughter is in kindergarten at a Catholic school. Before Christmas her class viewed an animated video called Nicholas, the Boy Who Became Santa. My daughter was very disturbed by what she saw. The video has many violent scenes showing the Roman persecution of the Christians. It is done in a very "Disney" like way with lots of evil laughs and smiles, and also direct violence...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • December 22, 2011 • No Comments
I'm working with military families. I work primarily with families that have a deployed service member, which is usually dad. I have a 4 year-old-boy who will not talk to his dad on the phone or the computer. Dad is very hurt. Mom is frustrated and the son just refuses to have any connection with deployed dad. Dad will not return until next summer. How do I support this...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • December 19, 2011 • No Comments
Dear Dr. Dave
My children are 6, 5 and 3 years old, and they have watched more TV than I think you would recommend. I hope to change our family habits going forward. My question is, are they "programmed" already? Is it like quitting smoking (as in every day that you don't smoke you add time to your life expectancy) and every hour that you don't spend...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • December 14, 2011 • 1 Comment
Dr. Dave,
A friend of mine passed this along to me. I thought it was a great lesson for kids about bullying. Could you pass it along on your website?
Thanks,
Jim, Cedar Rapids, IA
Jim,
I agree that this is an excellent lesson to help kids understand the harm that bullying can cause. Here’s...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • December 12, 2011 • 1 Comment
Hi Dr. Dave,
I recently ran across a new app called TeenSphere. Are you familiar with it? What do you think of it?
Thanks,
Barb, Minneapolis, MN
Barb,
Thanks for tipping me off about TeenSphere. I was not aware of it until you asked. I...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • December 9, 2011 • No Comments
Hello, I have a 15 year old who has ADHD, and we have two high tech TVs. She will watch TV for hours without moving. Do you know of any parental control programs that limit time on the television?
Linda, Boston
Linda,
It certainly makes sense for parents to have rules about when and how much time kids spend...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • November 22, 2011 • No Comments
Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • November 22, 2011 • No Comments
When asked to do a chore, our 12 year old son always responds with a question such as "Why do I need to do that?" followed by multiple other questions. We are both teachers and have different ideas about what he is trying to accomplish with this response. We are interested in your ideas.
Thanks,
Sandi, Rosemount, MN...
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • October 20, 2011 • No Comments
My baby is 13 months old. She is suddenly giving me fits at milk time and eating time. I feed her milk to her in my arms and we go to the high chair for lunches and juice or water. What am I doingwrong...or could you offer advice?
Carrie, Miamisburg,OH
Carrie, You’re not doing anything wrong. Your baby is doing what many do at about one year....
More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • September 16, 2011 • No Comments
I just wrote a post about the importance of forming a secure attachment with your baby. Here are ten ways you can make sure that you are putting your baby on the path towards independence and self-discipline:
Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • September 16, 2011 • 1 Comment
Dr. Dave, I know that you do a lot of research on self-discipline and self reliance. I work with new parents and many are worried about "spoiling" their babies by responding immediately to their cries and picking them up. How should I respond?
Cheryl, Mississippi
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More...Posted by Dr. Dave Walsh • September 2, 2011 • No Comments
In your book you say parents of preteen children, as is our case, should know their friends and parents. We agree fully. We have decided that we would like to limit our 12 year old daughter's cell phone contacts to friends we know/parents we know. This would require us to remove most of her contacts from her ALLOW list. Is this an appropriate approach as my concern is not...
More...