Aack! Dr. G, do you have any common sense rules for getting and using a cell phone? It is ALL my kid will talk about. She’s 8! Darrell, in NJ How old is the youngest kid you know with a cell phone? I know a 6 year old with a flip phone, and a couple [...]

The phrase “But everyone’s doing it!” is a cliche for a reason! I’m over at Your Teen Magazine today talking to a mom who’s 13 year old daughter wants a push-up bra. Curious? Come on over!

Every parent (myself included) is shocked when their adorable child completely ignores them.  Head on over to Sluiter Nation to hear what you can do to increase your odds of being heard!

Soon to be 3 yr old twins.  One daughter (slightly larger and stronger) is often the bully/aggressor — using force to get what she wants (pushing, hitting, occasional biting, grabbing things away from the other daughter), in lieu of verbal communication.  Still difficult for each to tell their side of the story.  Unless we’ve observed [...]

Hello Dr. Im a mom of a 15 yr old teen. I have an issue that I don’t know how to resolve. When ever we have something planned as a family gathering and is not something she wants to do at that moment she decided she doesn’t want to go and doesn’t get ready and [...]

Dr. G, I don’t feel that my 11 year old is very respectful of the adults in her life. When I say this, she doesn’t even understand what I mean. How can I teach her  to show some respect? Allan, in Oklahoma City, OK   Showing respect is not a natural gift for most of [...]

  Sibling fighting btw two girls, 6 & 9…what to do when younger is really mean to older? Lisa, on Facebook This is so painful, Lisa. As I’ve mentioned before, all siblings fight. However, this does not mean that “mean” is acceptable! It sounds like you are being really clear-headed and brave, and noticing that [...]

I’m at it again, trying to energize parents over at Huffington Post. Please stop by and check out why pampering mom is good for kids!

We agreed to carpool with another family, but now realize their car is not safe. What should we do? Anonymous, in CA Why is this such a great question? Even though this specific situation may not happen often, it demonstrates a really common problem faced by parents. What should we do if we agree to [...]

A really terrific woman that I met at Blissdom (a blogging conference – my first!) asked me a question about her four kids and the divorce they all are enduring. She wants her kids to express how they are feeling but needs a home without huge blow-ups and hurt feelings as well. I hope you’ll [...]

Today I am really happy to be back over at Genie in a Blog, talking about that plague of parenting: saying “No!” Without letting our kids run the house, how can we feel, and BE, more positive? Come on over and check it out!

My son, 4 1/2, and one of his classmates are friends. This boy kind of “pushes” himself on my son and so we end up with play dates due to this. The mother is also a bit pushy and asks for play dates often and in front of the boys so it makes it awkward [...]

I’ll take advice on getting 3-year-old boys to stop yelling. He does it for attention, but neither ignoring, nor talking to him nor time outs seem to work. It’s too loud and he does it when it’s inappropriate to be really noisy. Robin, in Canada OK, let’s face it. Yelling is fun! Don’t believe me? [...]

In front of your child, doctor tells you, “Something is wrong, but I I’m not sure what and don’t want to speak out of turn.” And it’s about the child who is old enough to understand what the MD is saying! I’m all for open, honest communication with our kids, but jeepers, if you’re gonna [...]

I am thrilled to be guesting at Genie in a Blog today! The hilarious and skilled Leigh Ann Torres asked how to get through to a child who is “off in lala land” instead of listening. I don’t know about you, but I face this all. the. time. at my house! I hope you’ll stop [...]

I really believe kids should do chores. My son (age 9) is pretty good about doing what he’s asked. My 7 year old daughter, however, does not often get her chores done. I’m struggling with ways to motivate her. She doesn’t care much about consequences – no matter what I take away it doesn’t seem [...]

I got a little fired up about the petulant and lukewarm “apology” that hit the media this weekend. Here is my very simple guide to apologies over on Huffington Post.

Dear Dr G, My friend’s husband insults her and screams at the kids nonstop. The house is so chaotic when he’s home that I worry they will grow up and think its a normal house. She thinks a 2 parent household is necessary for her kids. How do I get my friend and her 3 [...]

My 7 year old son has been touching a little girl in his class. This apparently is not the first time. How do I deal with it and what do I do. How do I go about fixing this before it develops into something I cannot handle. Not that I can handle this but I [...]

I am really honored to be at Just. Be. Enough. today. This is an amazing community focused on helping us realize our inner strengths and value them. I’m there today writing about how we can pass to our children the skill of being satisfied with oneself!