My TODAY show report: 7 items parents should check-up on now to improve kids’ learning success mid-year. That crucial second school semester is in full bloom. Mid-year is when parents alike have a good idea about how their kids are doing in school – which subjects are hard or easy and how they like their [...]

6 proven stress busters I shared on TODAY for the sake of our health and our kids’ well-being Let’s face it, “Mommying” has always been stressful, so it should be no surprise that 70 percent of U.S. moms admit mothering is “incredibly stressful.” (A whooping 96 percent also feel that we are far more stressed [...]

A Guest Blog By Amy McCready, Founder of Positive Parenting Solutions We’ve all been there.  You tell your kids to clean your room, and you can actually see their expressions glaze over.  Remind Jacob to do his science homework, he rolls his eyes.  Tell Emma to set the table, and the whining starts before you can [...]

Twin U.S. birth rate skyrockets: Parenting tips for raising multiples  A report out this week shows that many parents are seeing double (literally) these days. The twin birth rate in the U.S. has more than doubled over the last three decades. For a bit of perspective: In 2009 one in every 30 babies born was [...]

“I know my teacher gave me a present, but she’s getting paid for it.” “Why should I write Grandma a thank you note?  I told her ‘thanks’ already.”  “But it takes too much time! Can’t I just text a thank you?” If those comments sound familiar, know you’re not alone. While kids love receiving those [...]

Parenting Resolutions that Make Big Differences for Your Family There’s no doubt that we want our children to become healthy, happy, responsible and productive. And oh the things we do, the energy we exert, and the money we spend to try to make happen. But how many of us achieve the success and see real [...]

A tragic fire touches the Windward School community in Connecticut this week killing three children and their grandparents. How to explain tragedy to children and help classmates and a community grieve is written by Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, President of the Child Mind Institute, child psychiatrist and director of the New York University Child Study Center. I’ve [...]

Warnings signs that a child may be the target of a bully If your child is bullied it means that a peer or peers are intentionally causing her or him pain. Peer abuse! Just the thought can send shivers down our spines. But the fact is 160,000 children skip school every day because they fear being [...]

Picky Eaters. Tantrums. Sleepless. Time out! Whining. Top questions moms asked me last week on  Dr. Drew Lifechanger’s and my answers If you didn’t get the memo here is it is: There is no perfect parent. This I promise. We’re all in this extraordinary role of trying to raise good kids together and we all [...]

Is social networking connected with the rise of teen narcissism? Yesterday I posted “The Teen Arrogance Cure” but today I want to dig deeper into troubling research reports that show a rise in teen narcissism and a decrease in their empathy. Here is my report I gave on the TODAY show and the facts that [...]

Simple, proven solutions that enhance children’s learning that every parent should have in their back to school toolbox and none of them cost a dime! Academic success impacts our children for the rest of their life: it influences their self-esteem, college selections, job attainment, financial success, and even their choice of spouses. It’s no wonder [...]

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 child [...]

New trend shows our Micromanaged, “Plugged-In” Generation can’t stand boredom. Parenting advice to help kids learn to self entertain and enjoy their own company!! There really is a new trend with twenty-first century kids. Perhaps because they’re been programmed and scheduled and micromanaged and adult supervised, many seem to have a tough time enjoying their own [...]

Is the “Middle Kid Syndrome” really a problem? Have more than two kids? Then I’m betting you’ve heard a few of these: “It’s like I’m stuck in the middle.” “But I don’t want to do things like my sister.” “I want my own stuff not these hand me downs.” “My coach always asks why I [...]

Parenting advice to help us monitor and stay involved in our kids’ online world and increase their safety. Shocking statistics that confirm that we better supervise closer, the difference between monitoring and spying,  and spy-free strategies and to help us do so REALITY CHECK: The latest estimates show that 93 percent of teens 12 to [...]

11 proven and surprising benefits of child-directed (aka unscheduled and spontaneous) play for our stressed-out, over-supervised kids. Okay folks, I’m concerned. Over the last few weeks I’ve been reviewing studies involving children and play. “Shocked” and “disturbed” are the two words that describe how I feel when reading those reports. Every study reaches one sad conclusion: [...]

Parenting tips to minimize our nagging and maximizing their Learning …until they can finally do homework solo style! “You can’t make me!” “Why do I have to do homework?” “Can’t I pleeeeease just go to bed?” Homework time in many families can be very stressful and tension-filled for both child and parent. According to a [...]

Research shows that boosting our children’s emotional intelligence and ability to read nonverbal cues can enhance their ability to fit in, get along, bounce back and handle life. The Importance on Nonverbal Communication Did you know that most of the time our kids aren’t listening to our words nearly as much as watching our posture, [...]

Steps to reduce female cruelty and relational aggression and raise compassionate, respectful girls Forget “sugar and spice and everything nice.” Research too often shows a different picture with all too many of our daughters. “Vicious, mean, calculating and backstabbing” are more applicable descriptions. Psychologists call such hurtful behavior “Relational Aggression” or RA because the goal [...]

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 [...]

Parenting advice to help kids and teens learn healthy ways to handle stress as they get ready to start a new year (and bust some of that tension the holidays seem to bring on). Think stress is just for adults? Not these days. Research finds that between 8 and 10 percent of American children and [...]

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 tips based on proven research that help raise tobacco-free kids and save their lives REALITY CHECK: One in five high school students smoke. More than 3 million U.S. teens are cigarette smokers. The biggest increase in cigarette users are teen girls. Did you know …. In California (my state), 18 to 24 year olds [...]

Five steps to stopping the Big Brat Factor by curbing selfish and spoiled kid attitudes If you think self-centered and selfish kids are on the rise, you’re right. National surveys show most parents feel they’re raising selfish kids. The truth is kids don’t arrive in this world with all the symptoms of the “Big Brat [...]

Parenting advice that helps you see the dangers of raising a spoiled kid and a four-word review to assess whether your child just may be even a tad bit spoiled. “Spoiled! Not my kid!” Right??? Or would you admit that your child is just a tad bit spoiled? All the polls say that most Americans [...]

NBC is featuring a week-long focus on education. This morning on the TODAY show parents had the opportunity to call, email or skype in parenting questions about their children’s education. I appeared as the TODAY parenting contributor along with a fabulous high school chemistry teacher from Los Angeles and an incredible principal from the Baltimore [...]

Worried about your child’s behavior? Not getting the results you hope? Then maybe–just maybe–the strategies you’re using aren’t based on solid research. Bad behaviors can be changed if parents remember to apply ten basic and proven principles. Here are my “Top 10” that I repeatedly share with parents who are trying to alter their kids’ [...]

Parenting advice based on solid research to help us raise caring, kind-hearted kids in a racy, raunchy world Something has changed about our children: the prevalence of abuse by their peers is increasing. Bullying is far more intense and starting at younger ages. And I have little patience for anyone stating the old “Kids will [...]

10 Parenting Tips for Raising Good Kids in a Racy, Raunchy World Home is always the best school for teaching moral behaviors, but in today’s racy, raunchy world parents need to be far more intentional in their efforts to building their children’s moral intelligence. Here are 10 tips from my book, Building Moral Intelligence: The [...]

Parenting advice to reduce kid greed and reopen generosity “But I’ve got to have a clown and a pony at my birthday. That’s what Tiffany had.” “Sure, I have six pairs but the more shoes the better!” “Grandma only gave me fifty dollars for an A!” Have you noticed that we seem to have a [...]

Missed buses… car pools… homework wars…lost library books…last-minute assignments…sleepy heads…forgotten lunches…missed breakfasts…late starts. Sound familiar? They’re the most common back to school parent nightmares (forget the kids!) Here are solutions: Though back to school should be exciting, parents often describe frantic mornings, hectic evenings, and plain bad memories: Homework wars…lost library books…last-minute assignments…missed buses…sleepy heads…forgotten [...]

Parenting advice to help kids learn to do household chores, boost responsibility muscles, and lend a hand without bickering Years ago I learned a parenting secret from my girlfriend that I’ll never forget. Cindy and I were busy chatting away when she glanced at the clock and suddenly announced to: “Chore time!” to her kids. [...]

Parenting advice to help disorganized, forgetful kids get organized and for kids with shorter attention spans who need to “reclutter” and learn routines “My daughter is sweet and loving but hopelessly disorganized. I’m always picking up forgotten homework assignments, putting school into her backpack and reminding her of his schedule. I worry that she’ll need [...]

10 tips to boost the right involvement in children’s education so parents make the grade I’m in the MSNBC studios right now as a panelist taking part in a two hour special about the crisis in education called “Making the Grade.” The line up of experts is extraordinary. But the problem is mind-boggling: Every 26 [...]

Parenting advice to help kids make new friends and fit into a new classroom, school, neighborhood or social scene. Adjusting to any new social scene can isn’t always easy. But having all new classmates, transitioning to a new school or most of all moving to a whole new community can be tough. And oh how [...]

Parenting advice to raise girls from inside out and stop the outside wrinkle-free, large-breasted, pencil thin craze. Enough! Ask teen girls what is on their birthday wish list these days, and you may get a surprise answer: Botox! Yep, that appointed “youth wonder treatment” by the 40 something set (who rave how Botox temporarily reduces those [...]

Parenting advice to help you survive and (just maybe) even enjoy that Family Road Trip … Tips I shared this morning on the TODAY show. The family road trip is as Americana as apple pie. It appears this summer more parents are doing just that — buckling up with their kids and taking mini or [...]

If you haven’t heard the news this should make you and every other parent smile. (And it’s about time). A seven-month study conducted by MTV and Associated Press interviewed nearly 1,300 young people aged 13 to 24 years old. The results revealed that the majority of teens find the most happiness in their family and [...]

Parenting Advice for Kids Who Feel They’re Never “Enough” Dear Dr. Borba, My ten-year-old is first in her class, and it makes her nuts. She stayed up until one in the morning last night memorizing state capitals. I worry that if she keeps up this pace she’ll have a nervous breakdown. She is a great [...]

Why we must lower our flaps and parent for self-reliance Of course we love our kids. Of course we don’t want our kids to fail. And of course we always want them to be successful. But always doing, picking up, jumping in, solving, rescuing, or mending fences for our kids sure won’t help them learn [...]

Let’s play “Back to the Future” and pretend it’s twenty-five years from now. Your kids are grown and they’re healthy and happy. They’ve now come back for a family reunion. Here’s the key question: What character traits do you hope to see most in your grown child? Here’s a hint and critical parenting point: Character [...]

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 [...]

Though most teachers admit that there are some students they never forget, the same is true about parents. I vividly remember a mother of one of my students all because of the way she conveyed respect to her child. She did so beautifully in how she listened. I watched her several times throughout the year [...]

One of the biggest reasons bad attitudes stay is because of a number of misconceptions about them. So how is your little cherub doing in the attitude department? (Watch out: Bad attitudes are in epidemic mode!) I’m on Talk Radio today on the Armstrong & Getty Show 910KNEW (Stockton: 1280 KWSX) ; Sacramento 650 KSTE (in [...]

Did you know that research shows that doing simple rituals enhances our feelings of togetherness and family belonging by almost 20 percent? I loved reading that research because it proves that SIMPLE things we do with our kids on a regular basis not only work best but also (let’s get real on this one) are [...]

Bullying. It’s rampant, cruel, and too much of the teen scene. But if you had even an ounce of doubt as to the extent of how vicious kids can be, this story should do it. A fourteen-year old boy was lured to a basement in a Concord, New Jersey home by teens. The high school [...]

All children are turned down by friends–even the most popular kids! Researchers found in a study of second and third graders that 26% of the time, even the most well-liked children in the class were told they couldn’t join groups already playing. Be sure to tell your child before he attempts to join a group: [...]

Over 2.3 million American kids under five are cared for at day care centers. If you’re like most parents, I’m sure you’ve pondered the age-old question: “What impact does child care have on my child? Now there’s an answer. A federally funded study by the Early Child Care Research Network just released results that will [...]

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 [...]

Children with poor self-beliefs often have bombarded themselves for so long with a steady stream of derogatory messages. Their potential for success is greatly limited, because they don’t believe in their capabilities. Self-talk is a critical part of how children acquire beliefs about themselves. One of the most powerful ways to help your youngster develop [...]