ONLINE PARENTING COACH

Your toddler tests your nerves because he is testing boundaries all around him. Every day, little by little, he is mastering new abilities and accomplishing new feats, and is anxious and excited to use these skills. Sometimes it's tough to reel in a toddler, but it can be done. And setting rules and limits now — when your youngster is learning what behaviors are acceptable — will help prevent bigger problems down the road. Here are some ways to help you keep your youngster on the right track: 1. If your roving toddler does head toward an unacceptable or dangerous play object, calmly say "No" and either remove your youngster from the area or distract her with another activity. It's important to not spank, hit, or slap your youngster. At this age, children are unlikely to be able to make a connection between the behavior and physical punishment. The message you send when you spank is that it's OK to hit someone when you're angry. The American Academy ...

"I need advice on what to do with my son who has been diagnosed with oppositional disorder!" OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER (ODD) is defined as a recurrent pattern of negativistic, defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior toward authority figures that persists for at least 6 months. Behaviors included in the definition include the following: • actively defying requests • arguing with grown-ups • being resentful, spiteful, or vindictive • being touchy, easily annoyed or angered • blaming others for one's own mistakes or misbehavior • deliberately annoying other people • losing one's temper • refusing to follow rules OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER is usually diagnosed when a youngster has a persistent or consistent pattern of disobedience and hostility toward moms and dads, educators, or other grown-ups. The primary behavioral difficulty is the consistent pattern of refusing to follow commands or requests by grown-ups. Kids with OPPOSITIONAL DE...

As a mother or father, how can you support a daughter who has been raped? Here are some important tips you'll need to help your youngster: It can be hard to help a daughter who's keeping a secret from you. Pre-adolescents and adolescents often turn to their peers to discuss deeply personal issues — and, unfortunately, something as serious as rape is no exception. Perhaps your daughter fears you will get angry, thinking she "brought it on" in some way; perhaps you don't openly discuss sexual issues and she would feel uncomfortable telling you. Whatever the reason, reaching out to your daughter — and keeping the lines of communication open — are crucial to your relationship. Let your youngster know, often, that you're there to listen and want to know if anyone ever harms her. Someone who's been raped might feel angered, frightened, numb, degraded, or confused. It's also normal to feel ashamed or embarrassed. Some people withdraw from fr...