Anxieties, Fears
John's Most Recent Articles
Daughter Worries About Getting Sick Again
Posted on 4/18/2023
Q: Our 7-year-old daughter recently had a short-lived stomach virus. Ever since she has been fearful that eating may make her sick. Every night at dinner she becomes concerned that she’s...
Read MoreChild Mental Health Therapy: Any Proof It Does Any Good?
Posted on 8/30/2022
In a 6 – 3 decision, the Killingly, CT, school board recently said “no” to establishing a mental health center at its high school. I imagine most folks, upon hearing that, would be dismayed,...
Read MoreAvoid Telling Young Kids About Existential Threats
Posted on 1/18/2022
Q: My 3-year-old is fearful of trying anything new, including things that other kids his age love to do such as swinging on a swing, sliding down a slide, and splashing in a pool. I feel like I...
Read MoreChoose 1 of 2 Paths With Kids’ Anxieties
Posted on 11/9/2021
Q: I recently changed my almost 4-year-old son’s preschool. My son, once fearless, has become reluctant to simply get out of the car in the morning and go into the school. There’s always a...
Read MoreTalking About Children’s Fears Can Intensify Them
Posted on 8/17/2021
A stalwart friend recently called my attention to an online article titled “Two Things to Say to a Child Returning to In-Person School (& Two You Should Avoid).” I am choosing to provide...
Read MoreToday’s Kids Suffer a Lack of Common Sense in Their Lives
Posted on 12/22/2020
A journalist asks, “What is the biggest challenge facing today’s children?” “The real world,” I said. For the last fifty years or so, good parenting has been defined...
Read MoreHelping a Child Worried About Death
Posted on 8/18/2020
Q: We have a five-year-old who obsesses about dying. This has been going on for six months, ever since a child in the neighborhood died of a congenital genetic condition. Our son knew the boy and...
Read MoreKeep Calm and Carry On
Posted on 3/24/2020
Vital to a child’s sense of well-being are parents who act competent to provide adequate provision and protection under any and all circumstances. I often refer to that obligation...
Read MoreReplace Psychological With Old Fashioned Parenting
Posted on 9/24/2019
As my regular readers know, I am a certified heretic in my field: child and family psychology. To the point, I am convinced that psychological parenting theory, which began to inform American...
Read MoreTry the 'No-Talking Cure' for Childhood Fears
Posted on 2/7/2018
A true story: When my daughter, Amy, was a pre-teen, she became anxious about going to sleep because of fears of dying in the middle of the night. When I tucked her in (I was her preferred...
Read MoreRecent Questions
My Daughter is Refusing Foods at Mealtime
Posted on 3/21/2024
Hello, my 13-month-old is refusing to eat what we are serving her at lunch or dinner. She has no problems with the eggs in the morning even when I add vegetables or meats. She will either just...
Read More11 yo GIRL HAVING LOTS OF SCHOOL-RELATED BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS
Posted on 3/12/2024
I have an 11 yo daughter whose behavior has been digressing since September of 2023. She was attending a private Christian school. She did well the first 5 weeks then started exhibiting behaviors...
Read MoreFill His Glass
Posted on 2/23/2024
My 9-year-old son is very negative lately. He seems focused on the "bad" parts of the world. He is worried and frustrated about big problems in the world like destroying the environment, for...
Read MoreRequire Independent Play
Posted on 2/17/2024
We are trying to promote our kids to be more independent with regards to their play. They are all boys ages 9, 7 and 5. They can play independently, but still want me to play with them and often...
Read MoreRoad Trip & Potty Training
Posted on 1/16/2024
My daughter (2.5) is potty trained and we are working on potty training our son (19 months). We have a long road trip coming up in April when we have to travel from South Dakota to...
Read MorePosted on 1/9/2024
My mother always lived in fear of the CPS taking us away and she continues to live in fear of it happening to her grandchildren. She did her best to rise my brother and I right. I feel like she...
Read MorePerfectionism and Kids
Posted on 11/7/2023
I have a 4-year-old son, 6-year-old daughter and 4-month-old. We are part of a homeschool co-op group that meets once a week. It isn’t a drop off co-op, so all parents stay the whole time. My...
Read More4 year old confessions
Posted on 10/28/2023
Lately my 4 year old son seems plagued by his thoughts. He will keep coming up to us and say things like “My brain keeps saying a bad word” (which is usually the word “stupid”) or “My brain keeps...
Read MoreCharacter over emotions for 5yo
Posted on 10/16/2023
Our 5 year old shows signs of anxiety, and especially separation anxiety. It started when he was two, we moved 5 homes in 6 months (transitioning from the mission field) Bedtimes can be...
Read MoreMoving adjustments for teen
Posted on 9/13/2023
Our family has just moved to a new town where we don’t know anyone. My daughter has just started 8th grade. She is quiet/shy at school so it has been hard for her to make friends. I’ve...
Read MoreTopics Covered
- Academic Issues
- ADHD and other disorders
- Adoption/Foster Parent
- Aggression
- Allowances
- Alpha Speech
- Anxieties, Fears
- Arguments with Children
- Audio Files
- Bedtime/Sleep
- Bedwetting
- Behavior Modification
- Biblical Parenting
- Bill of Rights for Children
- Bonding With Baby/Child
- Boundaries
- Bullies/Bullying
- Character/Values (teaching)
- Chores/Responsibilities
- College
- Consequences/Punishment
- Daycare/Preschool
- Depression/Self-Harm
- Developmental Issues (e.g. late talking)
- Discipline Methods (e.g. time-out)
- Disobedience/Defiance
- Divorce/Custody
- Drugs (marijuana, cocaine, etc.)
- Education
- Electronics (Computers/Video Games/Television/Cell Phones)
- Elementary School
- Emotions
- Extracurricular Activities/Hobbies
- Fatherless Homes
- Fathers
- Food/Eating Problems
- Gender
- Gender Identity
- Gentle Parenting
- Grandparents/Grandchildren
- High School
- Homeschooling
- Homework
- John's Discipline Methods
- Juvenile Antisocial Behavior
- Learning Disabilities
- Lying
- Manners
- Marriage Issues
- Mealtime/Eating
- Mental Health
- Middle School
- Miscellaneous Discipline Problems
- Miscellaneous Editorial Columns
- Mothers
- Nouveau Parenting
- Only Children
- Pacifiers/Security Blankets/Thumbsucking
- Parent Leadership and Authority
- Play
- Podcasts
- Post Modern Psychological Parenting
- Preschool
- Psychiatric Diagnoses
- Psychology
- Rebellious Behavior
- Respect
- Rewards
- School Behavior Issues
- School Issues
- Seasons of Parenting
- Self-Esteem
- Seven Biggest Mistakes Parents Make
- Sexual Identity
- Sexual Issues
- Shyness
- Sibling Conflict
- Single Parents
- Social Issues (fighting/arguing with friends)
- Socialization/Social Skills
- Spanking
- Step-Families
- Strong-Willed Child
- Tantrums
- Teenage Issues
- Terrible Twos
- Toilet Training
- Videos
- Violence (Looting, Stealing)
- Webinars
- Woke Parenting
