Now that we have entered a whole new stage of teenagedom and technology, I need some help. What rules should we have in place for the use of iTouches and iPads? I want some control without seeming like I am controlling! A Mom at Your Teen Magazine I hope you’ll come on over to Your [...]

I am honored to have been asked by the amazing Tonya Wertman to write as a part of her ongoing “Letters” series.  I chose to write a letter with the hopes of improving one of my most important relationships. My relationship with my body. It’s a thank you letter. Will you go over and check [...]

My 3 and 7 year old love playing together but their play usually results in the expected amount of conflict. I find myself questioning how involved I should get in their disputes. Should I say something when I see someone being unfair? Should I wait until they come to me for help (usually when it [...]

I have a 9 year old granddaughter. All of a sudden she will go into a crying spell such as this am. She had spent the night at my home last night as she requests on numerous occasions to do and went to sleep for 9:15 last night and slept until I woke her up [...]

How can I teach my daughter to love her body – however it looks – with all the emphasis on beauty and thinness everywhere in the media? An attendee at the second taping of “iQ: SmartParent” Children and teens hear conflicting messages. Parents and teachers say“Love yourself the way you are!”  Every magazine, commercial, fashion [...]

There are too many opportunities to talk to our kids about sad or difficult events. Often adults find those conversations even scarier than the hearing about the event itself. Doctor G has 5 steps parents and educators can take when approaching these talks. Model respect and teach resilience, as we know that this will not [...]

My 14 year old daughter wants me to walk her to the schoolbus stop. Except, she doesn’t want her friends to know, so she makes me hide a block away behind a car, and wants me to wave to her as she gets on the bus.  At first I thought a kid was being mean to her, [...]

Doctor G was really excited to be the keynote speaker at the International Nanny Association’s national conference this past weekend. One of the nannies was kind enough to ask this great question about how to help a child see her own capability when she’s feeling overwhelmed. How have you taught a child to manage that [...]

Tattling annoys adults. And it doesn’t usually help kids (even though they always think it will!). Here is one way to cut way down on the tattling!

Most people believe that children only have prejudice if they are raised by people with prejudice. That’s just not true. Young children and cautious children often have an inherent distrust of that which they don’t recognize as familiar – people, and also food, activities, etc. Doctor G has 3 clear tips for helping our children [...]

My friend and I are really worried about dieting in front of our girls. We don’t use the word, and we say we are trying to be “healthier”, but we are really worried about giving the girls a complex about their body size and damaging their relationship with food. What can we do to teach [...]

My son is turning 5 in the fall, and we’re getting a lot of conflicting advice about kindergarten. Do we send him, and have him be maybe the youngest in his class? Or keep him in preschool even though he did a pre-k program this year and he’s going to be bored? He already knows [...]

I’m answering questions over at EverydayFamily today, this batch is about toddlers and preschoolers having trouble accepting a new baby. We can’t control how our kids feel about their sibling, but we can put boundaries around their behaviors and also help the older one feel our love.

I have a teen daughter who has social anxiety. She struggled with school due to crowds, but started to miss a lot of time in grades 7 -9 . This year in grade 10 she started a new school and I am lucky I can convince her out the door 2 days a week. We [...]

Have you ever met a teen or young adult with an “entitled attitude?” Someone who thinks that the world should pay supreme attention to THEIR feelings? THEIR needs? As a parent, I’ve often wondered how to change this attitude, or avoid it altogether! I’ve met hundreds of kids and spoken about this with many parents. [...]

I’m at Your Teen Magazine answering their Ask the Expert series, this time a question from a mom of a teen with IBS who is afraid to go out with her friends. Will you stop over and check it out?

My ex-husband and his whole family are very into skiing. They take family trips to ski, and tend to be athletic and outdoorsy overall. My family is not. My son, age 6, takes after his father and loves to go skiing (and sledriding and biking and anything else). My 9 year old daughter, on the [...]

Are there games my kids should just never play? An attendee at the first taping of “iQ: smart parent” A few weeks ago I had the honor of interviewing some major gaming experts to get some guidance about what games I should let my kids play, and how often. WQED has launched a new program [...]

When we ask kids to say hello to a new person, we’re teaching an important life skill. But what about shy kids? How can we respect their natures and still give them the skills they need to thrive socially? Doctor G has some great suggestions!

I have a four, almost five year old, who sucks her thumb (since she was 16 weeks old). She had promised to stop on her 5th birthday (one month away), but now that it’s getting closer she doesn’t want to stop. How can we help her transition without the “conventional” methods (bitters on thumb, etc.)? [...]