“So Mom, when did you lose your virginity?” “What kind of drugs did you do Dad?” “How many times did you do it?” Kids have always said the darnedest things, but these days they’re also asking embarrassing and frank questions about their parents’ past lives: “How old were you when you took your first drink?” [...]

There is one cardinal rule about children that law enforcement and mental health professionals are well aware: Do not ever give notoriety to a teen-initiated crime, suicide, school shooting or homicide. Ever. Front-page coverage to such a tragedy actually increases the odds that an emotionally fragile teen (or teens) will duplicate the act. It’s called [...]

A disturbing video of a violent physical attack on a teen girl hit the wires this week. Her assaulters were six teenage girls—cheerleaders at the local high school—and their actions were calculated and animalistic. In case you missed what happened in Lakeland, Florida here’s the recap: On March 30 six teenage girls lured a 16-year-old [...]

Last week I did a Today show segment on “How to Stop Your Little Whiner.” For those of you requesting the blog that goes to that segment, here you are. (Better late than never??? Sort of anyway. Sorry! It’s been a hectic week. Whining-that pitiful, loud, grating sound-is one of the most irritating of kid [...]

WHEN THINGS ARE MORE THAN “JUST A PHASE…” When to Worry and Seek Help For Your Child Of course we love our kids and worry about them. But when should we worry—really worry–enough to seek professional help? It’s a question that haunts parents. Here are my four rules for when to pick up the phone. [...]

Let’s be perfectly honest: nearly all kids–from tots to teens–stretch the truth and for all sorts of reasons: • avoid punishment • make themselves look or feel better • get out of a task, keep their friend out of trouble The latest research shows that 98% of teens who believe that honesty is the best policy still lie. [...]

Okay, I admit it. I was dabbing away the tears in my hanky last night while watching Oprah’s Big Give. If you missed it, the latest Oprah venture is to put out the call for America’s most selfless person. While it’s still under the guise of a reality show (sort of), the great twist is [...]

Just mention two words: “Online Predator” to a parent and be prepared for a full-blown panic attack. Few things are more terrifying than envisioning our kids being recruited for sexual relationships — and to top it off by some force we cannot even see. Though we can ever fully protect our kids, this week a [...]

Amy Winehouse. Jamie Lynn Spears. Britney Spears. Owen Wilson. Barry Bonds. Paris Hilton. Lindsay Lohan. All are celebs who win accolades and prizes, but also seem to keep making those scandalous headlines. The kids may idolize them, but parents associate those names with far more than “rich and famous.” Try: “Crack, teen pregnancy, mental breakdown, [...]

Picture a high school gym where dozens of students lay on foam mats taking deep relaxing breaths to the slow cadence of their teacher’s voice. The class is Yoga 101 and it is the hot subject being taught from preschool to high school. And why so? Well, it seems educators are very concerned about their [...]

Talking with a tween can be like walking on eggshells. Any moment you could be asking what you thought was a simple, sincere question only to find it triggering an explosive response and you wondering what the heck happened. In all fairness, these middle school years are like an emotional roller coaster brought on by [...]

Interesting research  hit the news this morning  dealing with ADHD and kids. I know that’s a big parenting concern for many of you. Here are the findings: The National Institute of Mental Health reported the most detailed study ever of the brains of ADHD. Brain images clearly show that crucial parts of the brains of children [...]

Last week iVillage asked the community a question: “Do you think today’s kids are more stressed out than kids were when you were young?” How would you have responded? Over eighty-nine percent of parents said “YES!” and they’re not alone.  Child development experts, educators, other parents and even the kids agree. Stress is mounting with [...]

Being a parent is stressful, always was, probably always will be. And each generation seems to think it faces more stress than the generation before. Today’s moms and dads are no different. According to a new poll by Parents Magazine, most parents feel they are under more stress than their parents were. And many of [...]

Hello CANADA! I’m finally seeing FALL! (I live in a desert. Seeing red and orange trees is always a treat and fall up in the northeast is beautiful) I’ve been working in the Toronto District School Board and will be headed up to the national Character Education Conference in Huntsville this Tuesday. I can’t wait. [...]

“Spoiled! Not my kid!” Right??? Or would you admit that your child is just a tad bit spoiled? If you do, you’re not alone. A TIME/CNN poll found that two out of three parents feel their kids are spoiled. The truth is there is no gene for spoiled. It’s clearly a learned behavior and one [...]

REALITY CHECK Can you name one of the fastest growing businesses in this country tailored to children (P.S. $4.3 billion yearly)?? There’s no doubt about it–tutoring has turned into a billion dollar business. Tutor prices can vary from $10 to $250 an hour. It’s really little wonder with all the emphasis on test scores and [...]

Underage drinking has been a rite of passage and test of rebellion for generations, but these days kids are doing more than just sneaking a quick sip or slamming a beer. These days teens — and even pre-teens (those tweens)– are playing drinking games and are really going for that full blackout drunk thrill. It’s [...]

REALITY CHECK: This week I’ve been writing about risky teen behaviors: Steroid use in tweens. Binge drinking in younger kids (7% of fourth graders are drinking!). Online gambling addiction. The Choking Game. Cough and cold medication. Have you talked to your kids about any of these risky behaviors? Please take these seriously. Yesterday a reporter [...]

This us the fourth in a series of Risky Teen Behaviors from a segment I did for the NBC Today Show. This next risky teen behavior is right in your medicine cabinet. Taking cough and cold medications continues to be a hot craze for kids. The trend IS increasing and younger kids are joining ranks. [...]

This blog is the third in a series of Risky Teen Behaviors that I did for the Today show last week. Please pass these blogs on to educators and parents. What I found is that the majority of these risky teen behaviors are taking place in your homes and most parents are clueless about these [...]

Here is the second in my series on Risky Teen Behaviors that I did for the NBC Today Show last week. Most of these games are addicting. They are starting EARLIER and the majority are done in your child’s bedroom while you are at home. REALITY CHECK: Did you know that gambling is quickly surpassing [...]

REALITY CHECK: Do you know what skittling is? What about robo-tripping? Do you know what Power Hour is or Space Monkey? If not, chances are your kid does….and you should! I shared four risky teen behaviors on the TODAY show that all parents should be aware of. And the response was profound. I received dozens [...]

Of course we worry about our kids. It’s only natural to do so. We love our children more than life itself and want them to be happy and successful, and when they aren’t it hurts. When we see our kids struggle, have trouble fitting in, or recognize that they are somehow noticeably “different” from their [...]

Last week I had the privilege of working with Oneida BOCES in Upstate New York delivering keynote addresses to over 3000 of their teachers on moral education. While there I talked in length with many of the staff members and discovered that teachers at Sauquoit High School were implementing a Freshman Seminar. The purpose was [...]

Reality Check: Did you know that the US Census Bureau says 36% of all births are to single mothers? Whenever I hear someone say, “How does she do it?” a single mom comes to mind. Parenting is challenging enough with a partner, but raising a child alone has to be darn right tough. And when [...]

After all the test-taking, application filling, essay editing, campus touring, and acceptance-waiting, the big event is almost here: dropping your child off at college. You’d think that would be the easy part, but move-in day on college campuses is actually a high anxiety, emotionally draining affair (so says the voice of experience! Believe me, you’re [...]

I don’t know about you, but I’m suffering from a case of only what I can call “Shudder Syndrome” and it seems to be getting worse by the second. It’s a relatively new ailment, but it always materializes when I read those disturbing statistics about young girls. I’m sure you know the ones describing the [...]

Think steroids are for teens? Well, think again. A recent survey found that kids as young as ten (fifth graders!) are taking illegal steroids to do better in sports. And it isn’t just boys who are partaking: use among middle-school girls is almost as prevalent as it is among boys (2.8 percent of boys and [...]

The Travel Industry Association reports we usually take eight to ten car trips with the kids this summer. Each trek is bound to be a fun family memory, right?  Well, not always. Most parents’ car trip recollections are antsy kids repeatedly asking: “Aren’t we there yet?” Luckily with a little preparation you can reduce the [...]

Reality Check: What are your feelings about mothers with young kids who work? Does it affect the kids? If so, how? Do you have a positive, negative or “so-what” attitude about the whole issue? Just when I thought moms had finally called a ceasefire to their infamous “Mommy Wars.” Surprise! Last week every media outlet [...]

Here’s your reality check: “Do your eyes light up with the same intensity when you see each of your kids?” Watch out! Research shows our kids can pick up on our favorites regardless of how great our acting. Cain and Abel Paris and Nicky Hilton Donnie and Marie Osmond Jack and Bobby Kennedy Venus and [...]

This morning on the Today Show we discussed a fascinating subject: do older men make better dads? I’m a bit biased — I am the productive of an incredible dad who waited quite a while to marry (World War II entered the pictured) and voila — (that would be me arriving). But there’s now a [...]

Of course we love our kids, and we’ll do anything (and everything) for them. But the fact is we can’t lose sight of our own needs. It’s what helps us feel rejuvenated so we have the strength to nurture and guide our children. After all, isn’t what our kids really need is a genuine, healthy, [...]

Okay, I confess–anytime a survey about motherhood is released I’m one of those types that devours the results. I’m always looking to see if there really (I mean really) will be any scintillating new revelations about “Mommying.” And I’ve learned not to get my hopes up. More times than not, I find the same old [...]

Are you a grupster? Maybe I should first ask if you’ve even heard of the term. But it’s a hot new life-style trend that appears to have started in Austin, and then became famous when Jonathon Morgan wrote about these folks in the American-Statemen. If you’re a Star Trek buff, the term may sound a [...]

Did you know that 47 is the average age most women today will become first-time grandmas? And this is the first generation of women who not only will be grandparents but also have their own parents still alive? Today’s group of grandparents will also assume that role for an average of 40 years and the [...]

The events in Japan this week are horrific.  Such sorrow. It’s sometimes too much to bear as more reports come in. And then we think of the children and what they must be thinking and feeling as they try to make sense of yet another tragedy. Our kids are growing up in such frightening times. [...]

Oh the world we live in. Frightening isn’t it? But stop and think of our children and what they must be feeling! I sat in I guess you’d have to call it numbness – watching those images of horrific images of sorrow.. All the faces and faces of those young college kids! One more massacre. [...]

This week FOX Headline News asked me to comment on a new University of Maryland study lead by Suzanne Bianchi about American parenting trends. I was fascinated when they emailed me the report and then talked to Dr. Bianchi about her study. Moms today are spending almost four more hours a week with their kids [...]

This week I was a guest on the Today show to discuss the New Name Game in Parenting. One of the biggest parenting dilemmas used to be choosing our kids’ first names. We’d spend hours leafing through those thick baby books trying to find just the perfect one to fit our little one. These days [...]

A horrific number of incidents have taken place in schools over the past two weeks: A Montreal school shooting, a 15 year old Wisconsin boy shooting his principal, Colorado girls held hostage molested and then shot in their high school, and six to thirteen year old girls bound and shot execution-style in an Amish one-room [...]