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Medical Resident Has Little Time for Family
Q: My husband is a medical resident and works more than 10 hours a day and often on weekends. We have a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old, and I often feel like a single parent. My children (especially the 3-year-old) are old enough to notice. Do you have …Read more.
Sister Competition Is Normal
Q: I'm trying to take your advice about encouraging my daughters so we can be a "whole, smart family," but it's not working. My 6-year-old daughter's very good at art, for example, and my 5-year-old's fixated on trying to be as good. No …Read more.
Teen May Have Poor Social Skills
Q: My youngest daughter is 15 years old and in the ninth grade at a challenging academic magnet school. She's doing well enough in school, but I'm concerned about her social skills. To put it bluntly, she can be a bore. She seems happy and has some …Read more.
Daughter Fearful When Tested
Q: Could you tell me what affects what a child considers to be a bad grade and how she reacts to it? I also wonder why my daughter sometimes says she "blanks" on tests, even if she's studied. Do you think she has test anxiety, and is that …Read more.
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Social Skills Important for ADHD TeenQ: I'm at my wits' end. My daughter has Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder. She is very witty and intelligent, but she has a hard time obeying authority and getting along with people. She's been this way since she was 18 months old. She's now 14, in the ninth grade, and on medication. Are there any programs/therapy that teaches teens how to get along with peers? I'm in the Atlanta area. A: There's no doubt that learning social skills is important for all teens and children who have ADHD problems and sometimes inappropriate social skills. Most counselors are trained to help children learn social skills, and group therapy is often available. Your daughter's psychiatrist or physician can probably recommend someone in your area. Fortunately, there are also many books that can be helpful, especially to girls. Publishers like American Girl and Free Spirit Publishing provide many books on social skills, and if your daughter is sensitive to her problem, she'll probably appreciate them. In addition to therapy, you might even enjoy sharing some of these books with your daughter and talking them over as you read them together. I know you would find my own book, "See Jane Win For Girls" (Free Spirit Press, 2003), helpful to your daughter. For free newsletters about "See Jane Win for Girls" or social skills, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the address below. Q: I am a very responsible parent of a 1-year-old. My girlfriend and I would like to know how to make a baby be quiet without taping its mouth shut. My daughter won't stop crying.
A: You may absolutely feel like taping your daughter's mouth shut, but please don't ever, ever do that. A 1-year-old baby that cries continuously is undoubtedly having a serious problem. I assume you've ruled out hunger and you've fed her enough. Your next step is urgent — you should get her to a physician to talk about that crying. The doctor will ask you when and under what circumstances she's crying. The continuous crying could be caused by many physical problems or by allergies. The doctor may have to do some tests or scans to help identify possible problems. I'm sure you've tried holding her to comfort her, but I know that parents can't hold a baby all day and night. After the doctor has ruled out all medical problems, if the baby is still crying, you could see a psychologist or a parenting expert to guide you in parenting. If there isn't a health problem, you'll find you can quickly learn to ease your baby's discomfort and enjoy her. By one year, babies can be in very nice routines if there's nothing medically wrong. For a free newsletter about raising preschoolers or the book "How to Parent So Children Will Learn" (Great Potential Press, 2008), send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the address below. Dr. Sylvia B. Rimm is the director of the Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, a clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the author of many books on parenting. More information on raising kids is available at www.sylviarimm.com. Please send questions to: Sylvia B. Rimm on Raising Kids, P.O. Box 32, Watertown, WI 53094 or srimm@sylviarimm.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM
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