Parenting From The Source

In my last post, I listed several possible causes of rebellion. See What Causes Rebellion? Today, I will look at the first one only – the failure to be as good as an older sibling. One approach to child psychology says that all behavior of a younger child is driven by the need to catch up [...]

When a child is rebellious, there is always an underlying cause. In a nutshell, the child is trying to find a way to feel better. Even when parents are trying their best to make each child feel loved and special, he or she may see things differently. Examine your child’s situation from his or her [...]

There are three aspects to consider when we want to change the behavior of a rebellious child. Each is equally important and will be addressed separately. 3 Issues Related to Behavior Change Something is causing the child to rebel. There is a definite remedy related to the cause. There must be consistent discipline even while [...]

When no one was watching, Isabella ran her finger around the icing on her sister’s birthday cake. Then, as if she knew she hadn’t done enough damage, she got a spoon and took bites out of the side. She then picked up her doll and sat on the couch to wait for the coming fireworks. [...]

The following post was inspired by a conversation with an eleven-year-old grandson as he talked about the difference it makes when people are happy at school. Children Need Happy People in Their Lives Do you know how vital it is for your children to be around happy people? More than anything else, their perception of [...]

My son-in-law jokingly accuses me of gathering material for my writing when I visit his children. What he doesn’t realize is that I have enough stories from my own children to last several lifetimes of blogs and columns. Respecting Privacy Is of Greatest Importance While I do respect the privacy of the kids and parents who

Are you waiting for your child’s moral maturity to develop about the time he or she is eighteen? That’s the age of legal maturity and often physical maturity, so it seems logical that moral maturity would be completed about that same time.

In my last post, I wrote about first-time obedience with older children. I said, “Consequences for disobedience must be delivered every time.” That sounds great, but I hear from parents all the time that they cannot find a punishment that works with their older children. Consequences for disobedience must meet two criteria.

First-time obedience is harder if a child is several years old and accustomed to waiting for his parents to repeat their instructions or correction several times. There were times I let my children slip into the habit of ignoring me the first few times, and it was hard to get back on track.

First time obedience is a sometimes controversial subject, perhaps because it takes discipline on the part of parents to enforce it. Why First-time Obedience Is Important For reasons why it’s important, see my article in the Hale Center Insider.   http://www.sallyandterrywright.com/Story01-31-12_CAROLE_BELL_3REASONS.php. There’s another reason why it’s essential. If children have been trained to respond the first time [...]