Dr. Hyken’s new book, The Parent Playbook, offers parents responsible, practical, easy-to-implement answers to some of the toughest questions they face. In this recent television segment, Dr. Hyken discusses parenting strategies from the book with JiaoJiao Shen of KSHB-TV in Kansas City.
All parents leave the hospital with their first baby feeling excited and proud. Most also have many anxious moments as they appropriately worry about everything. Is the baby seat correctly installed? How do we bathe the baby? Is he going to have a happy childhood? Where will he go to college? When the second child arrives, the list of questions grows even larger: Will the older embrace the younger? How will they get along?
A recent study published by the University of Missouri revealed new insights into the teen brain and the way boys and girls communicate about problems they are facing. When parenting teens, adults need to understand the different ways boys and girls perceive and talk about challenges so that they can provide the best possible support for their sons and daughters. In this recent clip from KTVI-TV in St. Louis, Dr. Hyken discusses the communication preferences of boys and girls, and how parents (and spouses) can use this information to make all family voices heard.
Age, temperament and ability to reason are all factors which must be taken into consideration before introducing new levels of freedom while parenting teens and pre-teens. But if your children are ready, staying home alone can be an exciting step on the journey toward independence. To make it a positive experience, parents need to be able to identify when their child is ready and what they can do to make staying home alone safe and enjoyable. In this recent segment on KTVI-TV in St. Louis, Dr. Hyken offers tips to help parents know how and when to leave kids safely home alone.
Like mile markers along a highway, children pass through numerous developmental stages on their way to adulthood. While most parents are familiar with the physical and mental developmental milestones like learning to crawl, walk or speak, less well-known are the ways a child’s development affects his or her perspective on friendship. In a recent segment on KTVI-TV in St. Louis, Dr. Hyken explains how children perceive relationships at various ages to help parents offer the best guidance and support.
My son struggled with his math homework the other night: The cost of two televisions and three DVD players is $1,421. The cost of one DVD player is half the cost of one television. What is the cost of one television? After 15 minutes of deliberation and a trial-and-error algebraic approach, I solved the problem. The next day, my fourth grade child came home with a much simpler solution using the new math.
Just recently, my wife and I had to ask our 7-year-old what we thought would be the biggest question of his young life: soccer and tennis, or hockey and tennis? We prepared for this potentially upsetting conversation by spending many hours discussing the pros and cons of ‘forcing’ this decision, considering the impact of our son’s friendship with his fellow teammates, and worrying about his reaction. He chose hockey and tennis, and then ran out of the room to go play with his brother.
Q: I have both a teenage son and a daughter. It seems that my daughter is much more anxious than my son. Is this because of how I parented?
A: A recent study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry found that teenage girls are six times more likely to be anxious than boys. Additionally, there is a significant amount of research that shows women are significantly more anxious than men.
Many parents have argued in front of their children. However, while you may pick up and move on, have you ever wondered what lasting impression it is leaving on your kids?
As I reflect upon my youth and those lazy days of summer, I have fond memories of staying out late, spending hours by the pool, and making many phone calls to determine the when and the where of my next nightly activity. Yes, those were simpler times without worries of curfew laws, skin cancer and Wi-Fi access.
