Michele Borba: Over-Protecting Erodes Kids’ Confidence: How to Wean from Rescuing So Your Child Can Learn to Handle Life Without You!
No parent wants their child to suffer heartaches and disappointments. Our basic instinct is to try and protect our kids from frustrations and problems. But doing so deprives our children from developing the confidence they’ll need to deal with the multitude of issues they’ll face in the real world. How will they ever learn to stand up for themselves, take responsibility for their actions, and confidently cope with life if they’ve always relied on us to pick up the pieces and mend fences?...
Flip Over From Potty Training to Smoking Pot: Great Review of Big Book of Parenting Solutions by Carine Nadel
Note to Reader: Carine Nadel, fabulous writer from the Orange County Register, recently interviewed me about The Big Book of Parenting Solutions. I must admit I love speaking with Carine. Not only is she a great writer, but a warm, witty and fun lady. Here is part of her great review published in the OC Register. Thanks Carine! By CARINE NADEL For the Orange County Register Get a group of parents together and invariably you will hear "Does your 10-year-old scream in public?" Or, "OK my...
8 Reasons To Stop Fighting In Front of the Kids
Eight Scary Reasons Why You Should Stop Fighting Over Parenting Issues! Make no mistake, our bickering does impact our kids. In fact, just last week the New York Times published an article on how parents these days are less likely to spank their kids, but are more likely to yell. Studies at the University of Rochester revealed just how our fights do negatively affect our kids--far more than we may be aware.Next to financial issues, parents are most likely to bicker about how to raise their...
Michele Borba: 7 Secrets to Help Your Kids Listen Better
REALITY CHECK: A 2005 nationwide sample of 1,000 teens aged 12 to 19 were asked to assign letter grades to adults in 24 categories. More than thirty-five percent of teens surveyed gave poor grades (D or F’s) to adults for failing to listen and understand teens. How would your child grade your listening ability? On a scale of one to 10 (one being the lowest and ten the highest) how would you rate your listening skills? Why did you choose that rating? What one little thing could you do to...
Stop Child Abuse: I Promised Not To Tell (A Story of Courage) by Kara Tamanini
REALITY CHECK: Here are a few very sobering statistics about our American children: In 2007, almost 800,000 children were victims of maltreatment whether it as neglect, physical, sexual, or psychological maltreatment. Of these, 59% were neglected, 10.8% were physically abused, 7.6% were sexually abused, and 4.2% were psychologically maltreated. Tragically, experts feel that the actual number is far higher and for a variety of reasons. Chief amongst those is because children are afraid to...
Seven Parenting Practices That Nurture Respect and Love
Here’s a deep, dark and true secret: Teachers usually admit that there are some students they will never forget. Well, I swear the same is true about some parents. I vividly remember a mother of one of my students because of the way she conveyed respect to her child. She did so beautifully in how she listened to her son. I watched her several times during the year on our field trips and class parties. Each time her child would talk, she'd stop everything, get down to eye level, look into her...
Acing Your Parent-Teacher Conference
REALITY CHECK: In a national survey only 25 percent of teachers described their experience working with parents as “very satisfying.” Thirty-one percent cite parents and communicating with their as their biggest challenge. So approach that teacher as a partner in helping your child become the best he or she can be. You just received a memo from your child’s school that your parent-teacher conference has been scheduled. This will be your first one or your child may not be having as success year...
Michele Borba: 5 Signs You May Have a Materialistic Kid–Are you ready to take the quiz?
Might you have a materialistic critter on your hands? REALITY CHECK Beware: materialism is hitting our kids at younger and younger ages. Two-thirds of mothers say that their kids ask for specific brands before the age of three. The Children's Society, a charitable group in the UK dedicated to improving childhood, released scathing survey results that are none too flattering: A whopping eighty-nine percent of adults feel that today's youth are far more materialistic and consumer-driven at much...
Signs if your child is bullied and what to do
Michele Borba REALITY CHECK: Research finds that 49 percent of kids say they've been bullied at least once or twice during the school term, but only 32 percent of their parents believed them. One study found that one out of every four children will be bullied by another youth in school this month. If your child is bullied, it means that peers are intentionally causing him pain. Reports also confirm that bullying is starting at younger ages and is more frequent, intense, and more aggressive...
Michele Borba: Parenting Alert-Fashion Magazines Affect Our Daughters’ Physical & Emotional Health
Warning: I’m ticked--or just darn-right over-the-top disgusted--about two recent events in the fashion world. First up there was top fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld’s attack on the women’s magazine, Brigitte decision to start using “normal-size women” for models instead of the pencil-thin variety. Such a concept, eh? Well, here was Lagerfeld’s comment: “These are fat mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television. No one wants to see round women.” Starting to get a...
Announcing Winners of Big Book of Parenting Solutions 1st Ever Twitter & Facebook Contests
Hi Readers! I'm posting this on behalf of the world's greatest publisher (mine!!!) -- Jossey Bass. I've had the honor of writing seven books with them. Their support is fabulous, and they also arranged a great Twitter Contest (The Big Book of Parenting Solutions First Ever Twitter Giveway) two weeks ago and this week's Wildest Worry Wednesday. Straight from Jossey Bass -- the announcement of the two winners! Congrads! On behalf of Michele Borba, Jossey Bass is happy to announce the winner of...
Michele Borba: Your child says she “hates” her teacher. What do you do? My Chicago Tribune interview
Posted October 11, 2009 By Wendy Donahue I was recently interviewed by Wendy Donahue on the Chicago Tribune on that age-old parenting question: "My child hates her teacher. What should I do?" Here is some of the advice I offered Wendy from my The Big Book of Parenting Solutions. that was published yesterday in the Chicago Tribune. (I've added a few other tips - Here's part of the Tribune post here. (THANKS WENDY!) Parent advice: The principal at my kids' school says moving a child to...
It’s WILDEST WORRY WED! Post craziest parent concern on my Facebk to win book!
Hey readers! Thought I'd throw a little fun into today and name it "Wildest Worry Wednesday." You just post your craziest parenting concern on my FACEBOOK page (whatever your worry --from an online predator to your kid is going to be the next Donald Trump or win the poster child for brattiest kid 🙂 -- anything goes!) What's your wildest worry? I'll announce the winner on Thursday and send you a free review copy of The Big Book of Parenting Solutions as the prize! You've even have the...
Michele Borba: Working Mother Magazine Recommends The Big Book of Parenting Solutions to their Readers!
Great news! One of my favorite magazine editorial staffs recommended The Big Book of Parenting Solutions as a top parenting reference for their parent readers. The recommendation is in this month's magazine on stands today. Thank you (once again!) WORKING MOTHER! Here is their direct quote: The Big Book of Parenting Solutions, by Michele Borba, EdD (nonfiction). Educational psychologist and Today show parenting expert, Dr. Michele Borba has compiled 101 answers to you most perplexing kid...
Oct 13: New Jersey “Parenting for Character: How to raise socially responsible kids who do the right thing”
Hello New Jersey Parents! This Tuesday October 13 @ 7 pm - 9 pm I'm speaking at the Montessori Children's Academy in Chatham, New Jersey. Parents from all over the area will be there. Hope you can join me. Details are below. REALITY CHECK: Ever wonder what really matters in raising a productive, responsible child or how to really help kids stand up to peer pressure and defy those temptations? Do you ever ponder as to the best ways to help kids become compassionate, respectful and do the right...
Disbanding the (Sibling) Fight Club
Parenting advice to curb sibling rivalry with four house rules that defuse brotherly-and-sisterly bickering before it gets out of hand It’s the soundtrack to parenthood: the battles, the bickering, and oh the rivalries. "Mom- she’s touching me!" "He’s looking out my window!" "Tell her to get out of my room!" Even on the best of days these sibling squabbles can make you want to pull your hair out. Add in busy schedules and mounting stress and coming home to conflict and contention can...
Michele Borba: Autism now 1 in 91 kids-Do you know the signs of autism spectrum disorder?
REALITY CHECK: A new study out this week estimates that one in every 91 children in the U.S. ages 3 to 17 has an autism spectrum disorder. That report increases the current estimate of autism occuring in 1 in 150 children. The odds of having ASD are four times as large for boys than girls. The report, “Prevalence of Parent-Reported Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children in the US,” was published this week in Pediatrics, and conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services...
Michele Borba: Would you rather have an Albert Einstein or Mother Theresa? My survey of 2400 moms show caring is now valued more than smart (YES!!!)
Surprising Truth about the Kids Moms Really Want to Raise Note to reader: I began writing The Big Book of Parenting Solutions by conducting a survey of moms ("Joys of Motherhood Survey")to get their pulse on mothering. I developed survey questions and the survey design and analysis done by Consumer Insights, Meredith Corporation (I serve as a board member on Parents magazine). In all a total of 2140 female completed the survey, the bulk of responses were 25 to 39 years of age. The results...
Michele Borba: How Do You Know If Your Kid Is Too Sick for School? (A great interview by Examiner writer, Kara Tamanini)
Michele Borba Note to readers: This week Gainesville Kids' Mental Health Examiner writer, Kara Tamanini interviewed me about how to know when your kid is too sick to go to school. You can read her article at http://shar.es/1szAb but I've also posted it in it here. All tips are from my parenting reference guide, The Big Book of Parenting Solutions. Thanks for another great interview Kara! You can follow Kara (a licensed mental health counselor) on twitter @kidtherapist or on her website at Kara...
Michele Borba Blog: High School “Slut List of 2010”: A Wake-Up Call For Another Troubling Youth Trends Sexual Harassment and Aggressive Girls
A high school “Slut List of 2010” is causing nationwide concern amongst educators and parents this week. The list featured almost two dozen names of 13 and 14 year old girls and three “honorable mentions,” who were incoming freshmen and was widely circulated amongst students at Millburn High School in New Jersey. Among the sexually explicit details and highly derogatory comments (supplied by Millburn-ShortHillsPatch) are: “My friends practice giving head on me because I’m a man.” “ I’m so...
Turning Pessimistic Kids Into Optimistic Thinkers
REALITY CHECK: Did you know that a child today is ten times more likely to be seriously depressed compared to a child born in the first third of this century? Beware: Pessimistic thinking clouds our kids' view of the world and affects their emotional and mental health. Michele Borba Note to Readers: This week I'm taking on troubling trends that are affecting today's youth. We've discussed Stress, Peer Pressure, and Materialistic, and Self-centered (and Entitled). Today I'm taking on...