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Children of all ages watch everything their parents do. Do you smoke? Do you drink? Do you take a lot of pills? Do you look at porn? It’s difficult to do these things while explaining to your kids why they shouldn’t do these things.
On the other hand, do you go to worship services regularly? Do you lead a youth group? Do you volunteer at area hospitals or take part in a clean up the neighborhood project or get involved in Habitat for Humanity?
As we write this we are teaching our youngest children to drive. This is a path we have been down before, but as our impulse for self-preservation is undiminished, we still find it a bit frightening this last time. Learning to drive may be one of the great adolescent milestones but, for parents, it represents a major push back from our kids as they claim their independence from us. Truthfully, the whole process is driving us crazy.
By Katherine Eskovitz
Award-winning children’s author and founder of little BLUEPRINT
How will our parenting decisions today affect the adults our kids will become tomorrow? Molly Skyar, in open conversation with her mother, Dr. Susan Rutherford, view parenting decisions through a psychologist's perspective.
How Can I Help My Toddler Get Over His Separation Anxiety?
When I drop off my two-and-a-half-year old at school he suddenly complains of a bellyache and always cries when I leave. What can I do?
DR. SUSAN RUTHERFORD: It sounds like he has a pattern of saying he has a bellyache whenever he separates from his mom.
Ever try convincing a wide-awake child to go to bed? Not an easy task! Instead of bedtime battles, you can work with your child’s natural body clock so that he’s actually tired when his bedtime arrives. Did anyone ever tell you, “You can’t make a child sleep, but you can make him go to bed.”
