Valentine’s Day for Mom: Single or Pregnant or Stay-at-Home

  Valentine’s Day for Mom: Stay-at-Home How can my husband and I have a good Valentine’s Day when we have to stay in?  Dr. Vicki’s response: Well, your Valentine’s Day for Mom scenario begins with defining what ‘staying in’ means.  Since this is a family site, you will have to use your imagination for any answer over PG! “Staying in” can range from being... 

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Selecting Musical Instruments for Children

Selecting musical instruments for children seems like the responsibility of parents.  Piano seems to be the starter instrument of choice for many parents who have pianos in their home.  But what if your children don’t want to play the piano?  Or, what if they like to plink upon the keys but have no interest in doing more than that?  What’s a parent to do? Playing an instrument has many benefits,... 

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Postpartum Blues or Exhaustion?

Dear Dr. Vicki: I’m a new mom of Kay, 3 mos.  I’m also a working mom.  Since my maternal leave is over, I’ve been feeling so worn out.  I also feel shock for this overwhelmed feeling. What should I do?  Shouldn’t a mother feel happy always for the presence of the new baby? Why am I always drowning with the overwhelmed feeling?  Really need your advice… -New Mom- ... 

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Is Your Toddler a Finicky Eater?

Whether you call your child a finicky eater, a fussy eater or a picky eater, it all means the same thing…a toddler who went venture outside the comfort zone of a few favorite items.  If you have a toddler who is a finicky eater, don’t despair.  There are many strategies that you can try to help increase her food choices. In a new article on Everyday.com, author Lynn Yoffee looked to clinical... 

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Kids Learning Computers…better with ‘tech’ than life skills

A new survey of 2200 online mothers of  kids learning computers between two and five years old found that: More young kids can play a computer game than ride a bike. Larry Magid of CNET News reported on Jan. 19, 2011: The Digital Diaries study from Internet security firm AVG said that 58 percent of children aged two to five know how to play a “basic computer game” compared with 52 percent who... 

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The Problems with Parenting

One of the biggest problems with parenting is that it’s one ginormous paradox! A paradox, an irony, a total contradiction every step of the way! You know what I’m talking about… Being a parent is the best, most rewarding experience in the whole wide world. It’s also the toughest, most unappreciated experience in the whole wide world. That’s one of the problems with parenting.  It can bring... 

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“I don’t like you, Mommy”

Kudos for this boy’s parents, who let him say what he feels.  Many parents would get angry or have their feelings hurt if their kids said, “I don’t like you, Mommy!”  But usually, they are either simply expressing anger, or as in this case, qualifying what deserves loving.  It’s important to teach your kids about unconditional love—you love them all the time,... 

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Change your child’s behavior

Here’s what Dr. Vicki, The Parenting Expert, has to say: This YouTube video has some great points, and I am frustrated that they call these suggestions “sneaky strategies.”  I don’t think they are sneaky at all…but rather good, effective ways of interacting and parenting your children!  However, as a child psychologist, I am totally opposed to one of their suggestions:... 

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Teenager Talks–Will Parents Listen?

The Shine User post: Parenting — Things every parent needs to hear from a teen’s point of view by Anna, on Fri Dec 31, 2010 7:58pm PST Hello, my name is Anna, and I’m a teen. Every week I see posts on here about parenting, and how to “deal” with teens. The problem is that these posts are all written by adults. I’m not saying that they don’t know what they’re... 

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Child development is like climbing the stairs

Dear Dr. Vicki: I know that there are certain child development stages that all children go through.  But what if my child hasn’t reached that stage and her friends the same age have? Dr. Vicki’s response: I like to think of child development as climbing a staircase, with each step representing a series of tasks to work on and master before going on to the next step. All children climb the stairs,... 

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