Parenting Information

"Mommy, I Can't Sleep!": Sleep Disturbance in Children


Oh Please, Don't Say Maybe!!!!

Are you often a participant in an unraveling parent-child interaction? Well you're not alone. Interactions between parents and their children often transgress before our eyes.

All children's first years should be filled with verbal stimulation to build language and literacy skills. Each day should be full of discovery and offer opportunities to gain new skills and learn new concepts. Talking to your children openly and honestly and encouraging verbal interaction is a critical component of healthy and successful development. Sometimes, though, a parent-child interaction spins quickly out of control and leaves the parent wondering "What happened? I thought I had this under control?"

All too often the origin of the conflict is established by the use of one simple word: "Maybe." This one uncomplicated morsel of verbiage has the power to evoke quite a forceful reaction at times. "Why?" you may question. The answer is as absolute as your response should be to your child: You just don't use the "maybe" word.

Raising a child is probably the most gratifying job any of us will ever have -- and one of the toughest. We live in an increasingly complex world that challenges us every day with a wide range of issues that are difficult for children to understand and for adults to explain. The issues are biggies: terrorism, war, AIDs, sex, death, and a host of other sensitive topics that just didn't exist when we were growing up.

It's not always easy to talk to your kids-but it's always important. Consider this: if we don't talk with them -- and answer their questions -- they'll get their facts from someone else. And we'll have missed an important parenting opportunity.

When responding to questions posed by your child, whether it's a question about the tough issues or a question about attending a sleep over or eating a cookie before dinner, clarity is the name of the game. If a child asks a question, the very least we can do is answer it, and answer it precisely. The amount of uncertainty produced by "maybe" is very often the catalyst for the conflict.

Here are some essentials to assist you in becoming more accomplished in talking to your child:

- Always respond to your child

- Strive to understand your own feelings regarding their request or question

- Reply with a definite yes or no

- Clarify your reasoning

- Offer them the methods and/or means to achieve their request

- Be conscious of their reaction(s), anxiety usually precedes the outburst

Remember: We all, young and not so young alike, find relief in knowing where we stand.

Dr. Charles Sophy currently serves as Medical Director for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), which is responsible for the health, safety and welfare of nearly 40,000 foster children. He also has a private psychiatry practice in Beverly Hills, California. Dr. Sophy has lectured extensively and is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California Los Angeles Neuro-Psychiatric Institute. His lectures and teachings are consistently ranked as among the best by those in attendance.

Dr. Charles Sophy, author of the "Keep 'Em Off My Couch" blog, provides real simple answers for solving life's biggest problems. He specializes in improving the mental health of children. To contact Dr. Sophy, visit his blog at http://drsophy.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Anderson court records detail accused killer's commitment to parenting
Anderson Independent Mail, SC - 4 hours ago
In 2006, family court officials ordered both parents to submit to drug tests and to comply with court-ordered behaviors, including the exposure of their ...


Examiner.com

Parenting Tip of the Day: Watch the sugar
Examiner.com - 4 hours ago
by Terreece Clarke, Parenting Examiner Though I'm writing this with the holidays in mind, this is actually a good tip for any time - watch the amount of ...


NEWS.com.au

The TV channel to good parenting
Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia - 8 hours ago
I AM not ashamed to say that TV makes me a better parent. Too much TV isn't good for kids, but a bit of it sure is good for mums and dads. ...
Parents defy experts on television and computers Melbourne Herald Sun
all 24 news articles


Examiner.com

(ie San Francisco hiking, San Francisco parenting)
Examiner.com - 9 hours ago
My parents gave me a magic kit one Christmas. In it was a little tube of gooey salve that if you rubbed between your fingers, smoke would rise up. ...


Should Schools Close on Inauguration Day?
Washington Post, United States - 3 hours ago
Let us know in the comments here or on the On Parenting blog. Stay on top of the latest from Inauguration Watch! This easy-to-use widget is simple to add to ...


Interaction of Parenting Experiences and Brain Structure in the ...
Archives of General Psychiatry - 1 hour ago
Objective To examine the influence of adverse parenting as an environmental moderator of the association between brain structure and depressive symptoms. ...


(ie San Francisco hiking, San Francisco parenting)
Examiner.com - 9 hours ago
by Mark Donovan, Boston Bars & Clubs Examiner This Friday will mark the 75th anniversary of the end of Prohibition. And you know what that means: Debauchery ...


Telegraph.co.uk

Parenting: The Idle Parent
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - 10 hours ago
It is highly critical, for example, of full-time day care for small children, arguing that, in the early years, the child needs its parents to be close by. ...


(ie San Francisco hiking, San Francisco parenting)
Examiner.com - 9 hours ago
by Onajide Shabaka, Miami Visual Art Examiner by Onajide Shabaka Is it really been 10 years that Locust Projects has been part of our cultural landscape? ...


(ie San Francisco hiking, San Francisco parenting)
Examiner.com - 9 hours ago
by Mary Purdey, Allston Community Examiner Thanksgiving is now over for another year. I hope that everyone had a good time this past week, ...

Parenting - Google News

home | site map
© 2006