Report Shows Teen Medicine Abuse Increase
Troubling medicine abuse report card reveals 1/4 teens abusing RX drugs. Let's get educated! A just-released report shows a troubling trend about teen medicine abuse. Please parents - keep track of your prescription drugs. One in four teens admits having misused or abused a prescription drug - a 33 percent increase over a five-year period. I'm in New York this week trying to get the word out to parents about this danger. Keep in mind that the biggest danger may be in your own medicine cabinet....
How to Address Medicine Abuse with Your Teen
Did you know that one of the riskiest teen behaviors starts right at your medicine cabinet? Modern day prescription drug abuse is dangerously high among teens in the U.S., with one in four teens reporting they have used a prescription drug (when a doctor had not prescribed it for them) in order to get high or change their mood. Pharmacies and drug stores are now locking these medicines up to fight off theft. But it seems parents are not realizing there could be an issue as more than four in...
Getting Children to Understand the Importance of Helping Others
How to Educate, Engage and Involve Your Child in Issues that Matter! Do you feel like your children are detached from the issues impacting those around them? Do you doubt if your child understands how fortunate he or she is? Do you worry that your child does not show enough compassion for others or takes their life for granted? Many parents have these same concerns, but there are ways to make your child more aware and compassionate about issues impacting others. One of the greatest lessons we...
Effective Bullying Prevention Training for Educators
Lessons I learned from working on U.S. Army bases to create effective bullying prevention Well, the pages are turning, folks: bullying finally seems to be recognized as a wide-scale problem with horrific implications to our students’ learning and emotional health. Forty-nine states have passed anti-bullying policies, and an epidemic of so-called “bullying prevention programs” are flooding the publishing markets. But beware: Farrington and Ttofi’s meta-analysis of 600 bullying programs found...
Dangers of Over-Praising Kids
Are you a praise-aholic parent? Beware, new research shows the wrong praise cab decrease kid self-esteem, motivation, effort, and achievement. How to use praise the "right way." "Atta girl!" "Super, sweetie!" "Good job!" "You're sooo smart!" Sound familiar? All you to do is attend any kid sporting event-hockey game, volleyball, soccer, football, swim meet-and you'll get my drift. Parents are there to support their kids-and yay that they are-but the accolades and praising for any effort is so...
Helping Kids Learn to Share
10 secrets that help kids share,take turns and join the human race “It’s mine.” “But I had it first!” “I want a turn!” Sound familiar? All parents want their kids to “play nice” by sharing, taking turns, and cooperating with their friends. After all, it means their child is learning how to socialize and get along. Learning to share is also signifies a big moment in moral development and social growth. Once a child can take turns and share it means he’s transitioned from the “egocentric” stage...
How to Choose a Quality Day Care
Key findings about day care centers and the impact on our children's development that I shared on TODAY that all parents and educators should know. And how to use those findings to help your choose the best day care for your child Over 2.3 million American kids under five are cared for at day care centers. If you’re like most parents, I’m sure you’ve pondered the age-old question: “What impact does child care have on my child?" Well, now there’s an answer. A federally funded study by the...
Anger Management for Kids
Parenting advice if your child has anger issues or bullies due to inability to handle impulses. Tips to help kids find healthier ways to control intense feelings, aggression and inappropriate outbursts Loses control Fights Shouts and screams Ticked off at the littlest thing Quick to anger Low frustration threshold Sound familiar? They are typical behaviors of quick-to-anger kids. But don't forget that anger isn't always displayed as an outbursts. Some kids hold their intense feelings inside....
How to “Despoil” to Raise An Unspoiled Kid
“Big Brat Factor” Cures: Six ways to "unspoil" a spoiled, entitled child Hidden Dangers of Raising Spoiled Kids Of course we love our kids and want the best for them. We hate to let them down and don’t want to see them unhappy even for a nano-second. And we hate to think our little darling could be spoiled and ungrateful. But despite our hopes studies show that nearly two out of three parents feel their kids are spoiled! Let's face it, spoiling a child is rarely a parent’s goal, but is easy...
10 Simple Ways to Be a Better Parent
Easy parenting strategies that can make big differences for your family There's no doubt that we want our children to become healthy, happy, responsible and productive. And oh the things we do, the energy we exert, and the money we spend to try to make happen. But how many of us achieve the success and see real changes in our families? There is no doubt that setting the right kind of goals will positively impact on our families. The best news is that goals don't have to be time-consuming or...
Helping Kids Cope with the Death of Friends and Classmates
How to explain a tragic death of a classmate to their peers and friends Last year a tragic fire touched the Windward School community in Connecticut --three children and their grandparents perished. This week a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut killing twenty school children and their teachers. Our hearts hurt for these children, their families and these communities. A sad truth is that children's lives are cut all too short and for many reasons--but...
Teaching Kids to Have a Strong Work Ethic
Parenting advice to help our children's develop "stick-to-itness" and a strong work ethic Many historians feel that one of Winston Churchill’s greatest speeches was given at a graduation ceremony at Oxford University. Churchill had worked on the speech for hours trying to figure out the key message he wanted to convey to the graduates. When the moment finally came, Churchill stood up to the cheering crowd, and in a strong, clear voice shouted just three words, “Never give up!” He paused a few...
Four Ways to Reduce Battles AND Risky Teen Behavior
Advice to help you pick your battles, upgrade your strategies,boost a stronger relationship and keep your teen safer Let's face it, parenting a teen is sometimes like walking through a minefield. They're usually moody, stressed and sleep deprived. Then add those hormones kicking in, and it's enough to throw up your hands. Well don't. The thing is teens desperately need our connection. And they desperately need our guidance. A big parenting secret is picking your battles and upgrading your...
Teaching Kids to Apologize
Five steps to help kids learn the lost art of saying "I'm sorry." The steps work for adults, too! Have you noticed how apologizing has become almost a lost art these days? A great number of adults--not kids--seem to have forgotten how to say that glorious two-word simple phrase, "I'm sorry!" And if the offender (whether it be government officials to movie stars to plagarizing authors to "poor-sport" athletes to our own friends) does give an apology, notice how it often sounds insincere?...
Raising Responsible Kids
Parenting advice to curb irresponsibility, excuses and "blame games" and boost trustworthiness, accountability and kid responsibility Any of these sound familiar? “I forgot.” “Take care of this for me.” “It wasn’t my fault.” “I did some of it, but I left it on the bus.” “I don’t know where I put it.” They are statements of irresponsible kids and part of a growing trend I call the “Big Brat Factor.” Kids with an irresponsible attitude rarely stop to consider how their actions affect others, and...
Top 30 Most-Requested Parenting Tips
I think I have the best job in the world: I get to help parents raise the next generation and I've worked with a lot of moms and dads. I've spoken to over one million participants on five continents, appeared on over 100 TODAY show parenting segments and written 22 books on child development. I'm also asked for advice and over the years (regardless of country or demographics) I've learned that the topics are the same. So here are my top favorite parenting tips --- the ones that seem to...
Quirky Kids: When to Worry, Seek Help, Get a Label or Just Chill
Of course we worry about our kids. It’s only natural to do so. We love our children more than life itself and want them to be happy and successful, and when they aren’t it hurts. When we see our kids struggle, have trouble fitting in, or recognize that they are somehow noticeably “different” from their peers, our worry buttons go off big time. So when should you worry—really worry--if your child is “quirky,” or noticeably different from the other kids? When does quirkiness just mean being...
Redefining Beauty For Our Girls: Raising Them From the INSIDE Out
I don’t know about you, but I’m suffering from a case of only what I can call “Shudder Syndrome” and it seems to be getting worse by the second. It’s a relatively new ailment, but it always materializes when I read those disturbing statistics about young girls. I’m sure you know the ones describing the prevalence of stress, anorexia, depression, cutting, date rape, binge drinking, aggression, bulimia. The minute I hear another stat, my ailment flares up. It always starts with a bad feeling...
Guide to Protecting Children and Teens from Sexual Abuse
Parents guide to the signs of childhood sexual abuse; safety tips to teach children and teens to from abuse and crucial tips parents, child givers and educators must know to help keep children safer "Childhood sexual abuse." The term sends shivers down our spins. It's the unthinkable phrase on every parent's lips. It's the nightmare we pray will never happen to our children. But the fact is sexual abuse is a horrific truth that can happen to any child. No race, creed, demographic, gender,...
Helping Kids Cool Hot Tempers
Teaching kids to identify their body alarms and learn healthy ways to control anger "I tried to stay calm, but it was too late!" "I wish I could tell when I'm about to explode." “Don’t keep telling me I’m going to lose all my friends because of my temper. I can’t help it.” Your child may be more excitable or passionate by nature, but some times this emotional temperament can get out of control. Though you can’t change your kid’s basic personality, you can teach him some strategies and...
Signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Kids
REALITY CHECK: Studies show children can develop PTSD. If a child has encountered a serious trauma please don't overlook the possibility of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and seek help of trained and credentialed mental health professionals. Storms. School shootings. Parent deaths. Bullying. Parental deployments. Terrorist attacks. Abuse. Hurricanes. Witnessing or experiencing violence. Gang activity. The commonality? All are known to trigger Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in children...