Teaching kids to identify their body alarms and learn healthy ways to control anger   “I tried to stay calm, but it was too late!” “I wish I could tell when I’m about to explode.” “Don’t keep telling me I’m going to lose all my friends because of my temper. I can’t help it.” Your [...]

REALITY CHECK: Studies show children can develop PTSD. If a child has encountered a serious trauma please don’t overlook the possibility of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and seek help of trained and credentialed mental health professionals. Storms. School shootings. Parent deaths. Bullying. Parental deployments. Terrorist attacks. Abuse. Hurricanes. Witnessing or experiencing violence. Gang activity. The commonality? [...]

Parenting advice to open up communication, rebuild a relationship with your teen or know what to do when your son or daughter starts to pull away and give you the cold shoulder   Let’s face it: teens really are a different species –and for a variety of reasons. Raging hormones, stress, sleep deprivation, growth spurts, [...]

What research says are best ways to curb a tantrum before, during and after the storm. The tips I shared on TODAY Show Temper tantrums—those annoying kid wails and frails and meltdowns—are common. Studies show that almost 70 percent of young kids have them. Tantrums are equally as common in girls as in boys. Older [...]

Four safety rules to teach kids to help them be safer online and stop cyber-bullying REALITY CHECK: Did you know that a recent survey found that almost 70 percent of adolescents say the best way for them to be safe online is through education? Are you educating your child how to be safe online? Let’s [...]

Parenting advice if your child has anger issues or bullies due to inability to handle impulses. Tips to help  kids find healthier ways to control intense feelings, aggression and inappropriate outbursts Loses control Fights Shouts and screams Ticked off at the littlest thing Quick to anger Low frustration threshold Sound familiar? They are typical behaviors [...]

Study shows kid pick up on parental stress far more than we know with tragic impact. Watch out! The kids are watching and wish WE WOULD TAKE A TIME OUT! Parenting Alert: Our Stress Is Trickling Into Our Families..and the Kids Say, “CHILL!” On a recent drive to Los Angeles  I passed a billboard on [...]

Parenting advice that helps reduce little ones’ frustrations and temper those tantrums (work for grown-ups, too!) that I shared on Dr. Phil REALITY CHECK: Did you know that research shows that the most active (and aggressive) time EVER in our lives is between the ages of two and four? Now you know why you’re tired! Toddlers [...]

Have a child/teen with anger issues?  Part I of a two part series on parenting advice to help kids find healthy ways to control intense feelings in a stressed-out world. Hint: Tips work for adults, too! Clenched teeth. Rapid breathing. Red face. Teaching kids a new way to cope with their intense feelings is not [...]

Parenting advice to help families reduce temper, boost family harmony and achieve yellibacy! New research shows our kids are picking up on our stress far more than we recognize. Holidays just egg on those tempers. So are you ready to take the Vow of Yellibacy? Here are the steps! Let’s face it, yelling is one [...]

I loved this article by Lori Lite and she graciously let me post it for you. Stress is mounting with our kids and they need to learn healthy ways to reduce it. These ideas are so simple but also doable…and you can have fun reinforcing the alphabet with your younger kids. Why not hang a [...]

Your child is out-of-control. You’re worried about your child’s mental and physical safety. You feel alone and don’t know what to do. Nothing is working and you’ve tried everything.  You’ve transferred your child to a different school. You’ve asked a relative or friend to take your child from her current negative environment. You’ve contacted a [...]

Toxic parent communication stoppers that are guaranteed to turn teens off – and your better response to keep them talking Let’s face it, talking with an adolescent can be like walking through a minefield. At any moment you could be asking what you thought was a simple, sincere question only to find it triggering an [...]

Last year your daughter was so sweet, suddenly she has an “attitude.” Two months ago your son was your best bud, now he treats you like you’re totally “uncool.” Welcome to the world of parenting a teenager. Throw out any of those child-rearing manuals you’ve used in the past. To survive this age group you need [...]

REALITY CHECK: Did you know that tweens and teens say one of their biggest daily challenges are conflicts with peers? The Boys and Girls Club of America surveyed over 46,000 teens coast to coast and found that one of their biggest concerns was day to day conflicts without knowing how to solve them (without a [...]

New research shows that children who can pass up a marshmallow are more likely to succeed as adults. But why? Here’s the secret every teacher and parent should know… The Famous Marshmallow Test and Implications on Our Kids’ Later Success In 1960, Walter Mischel, a psychologist at Stanford University, conducted the now famous Marshmallow Test. Mischel [...]

Part 2: How to Stop Bullying Using Proven Strategies. Let’s put an end to peer cruelty now!  Here’s how…. Bullying Increasing In Industrialized Nations Bullying among our youth is a significant problem–and it is steadily increasing. We also know that bullying is increasing in every industrialized nation: Japan, Canada, Australia, England, Finland…the list goes on. [...]

Tantrums. Backtalk. Meltdowns. Defiance. Disrespect. Yelling. Refusing to stay in Time Out. Won’t go to bed. Chaos! Those were the behaviors I faced when I went on a house call for the day to a family’s home for Dr. Phil last week. The show airs today and here’s the description. Controlling the Chaos Is your [...]

This week CNN asked me to comment on why children turn violent. The CNN HLN news story involved an 11 year old Florida girl and her 15 year old boyfriend who are accused of plotting to kill the girl’s mother by pouring gasoline on her bed and bedroom floor, and then igniting it while the [...]

Michele Borba REALITY CHECK: One recent study prepared for the American Psychological Association showed that 80 percent of middle school students admitted to bullying behavior in the prior 30 days. Another survey found that 40 percent of nine to thirteen years old admitted to bullying. Beware: research also shows that an eight year old who bullies has a [...]

Michele Borba   REALITY CHECK: Does your child have difficulty controlling his anger? Does he resort to using aggressive behaviors such as biting, hitting, spitting or fighting? Does he yell or quickly lose control? If so, you’re not alone.  Over the years I’ve received hundreds questions from parents, and by far the largest number deal [...]

Michele Borba REALITY CHECK: Murray A. Straus,[i] the Family Research Lab at the University of New Hampshire, found that half of parents surveyed had screamed, yelled, or shouted at their infants. By the time a kid reaches seven years of age, 98 percent of parents admit to verbally lashing at their kids. These are tough [...]