Is it Normal to Chew and Suck fingers at 4 YO?

Question:

My son, Logan, will be 5 in July.

He’s recently developed a habit of chewing fingers and sucking them.

He never had a dummy (pacifier), so I’m concerned it could be a sign of anxiety.

Our home life is pretty free from stress, and I’ve tried teaching him breathing techniques and kiddy yoga.

When he’s playing with us or his grandparents, or his 2-year-old brother Alex, the fingers don’t go near his mouth.

I see him chewing fingers more when he’s watching TV or tired.

Are these normal signs of anxiety in a pre-schooler?

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Kid Shaming in Social Media, What is it With These Parents??

I don’t typically like telling adults how to parent their children.

I don’t like it when others tell me how to parent, and for the most part I do not find it helpful to force parenting styles on other people.

However, there is this new “trend” in parenting that stirs up my anger:

Kid ‘shaming’ – Parent sponsored public humiliation..

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10 Effective Parenting Tips

Training is required for many jobs- a class, a workshop, an internship.

For parenting? We aren’t even given an instruction manual!

What is effective parenting? I do not have all the answers, and I make my fair share of mistakes- just ask my children.

But I do want to share with you some things that I have learned over the years.

My 10 Tips and Techniques for Effective Parenting:

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Did you Think It’s Safe for Your Teens & Tweens to Use Instagram? Think Again!

My two oldest girls have an Instagram account, and are complete social butterflies.

They take pictures of themselves, their friends, and food; you name it, and they share it with their friends.

I’m able to monitor their accounts because I see every picture they post.

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The Most Amazing Baby and Puppy Pictures You’ll Ever See

Theo’s older siblings asked Santa for a puppy in Christmas, and so the parents started looking for one in shelters.

After a few weeks of searching they found the puppy of dreams  Theo

Theo started joining Beau for his daily nap of course, who would say no to that?  Read More >>

Just Say “Penis”! Teaching Your Kids how to Call Private Body Parts

Question:

My 3-year-old calls his penis his ‘wee-wee’, but my sister says he should learn the correct term for it.

I think ‘penis’ sounds too clinical, and I also don’t want him going around talking about that.

Who’s right?

Answer:

Your sister’s right.

Children should be taught the standard terms for all their body parts, including the ones that many adults are nervous about naming – private body parts.

He probably doesn’t call his hand his ‘bang-bang’ or his foot his ‘walkie,’ and it’s time to teach him that his penis is his penis.

When kids Read more >>

Internet Dangers for Kids – Parents You Better Read This One!

I wanted to do an experiment.

I was curious about not only the real life sexual dangers of socializing via social networking but also the ease at which our kids could have access to potential negative sexual situations online.

I started a MySpace (yes, it’s still around) and Facebook page as a minor. I set my page appropriately and found 1 single stock photo of a “teen girl”. Not a supermodel or web-cam girl or someone that may already be at risk of these sexual dangers. Not an overly promiscuous or sexually suggestive picture, as a matter of fact it was not even a provocative picture.

I described myself as a “normal teenage girl” and gave myself some basic “likes” when it came to music, movies and all things available.

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Victim Mentality in Children – Nip it in the Bud

I can’t. It’s too hard. Nobody likes me. I need you to do it because I’ll do it wrong. I’d really like a pencil like that but I’ll never be able to have one. I can’t do anything right. I have a stomachache, that’s why I didn’t clean my room. My teacher’s dumb, that’s why I got a C. It’s not fair; you don’t love me.  Whine, mope, and complain.

STOP!!! I can’t stand it!

Pretty soon we feel like the victims of our children’s victim mentality, and it’s too easy to react from our irritation (which only reinforces victim mentality) instead of our duty to help our kids take responsibility.

So let me give you some tips on how to nip this behavior in the bud.

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Is There a Right Time to Have a First Child?

At least twice a week in my practice, I will have a young, bright, and ambitious 20-something year old woman sitting across from me. We’ll ponder life together: Career, friends, hobbies, and relationships.

Invariably at least once a week, one of them will tell me that she has a life plan, which includes having kids before the age of 30.The closer they might be to said age without the prospect of procreation in sight, the more angst they feel about ‘missing the deadline.’ When I inquire as to why the deadline is age 30, the response is usually that having kids over the age of 30 is “too old.”

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Claustrophobia and Anxiety in Children

My 8 year old is generally an anxious child, which we manage through basic mindful strategies.

Over the years he has experienced phases of very specific anxieties and phobias (darkness, certain foods, being alone in a room, etc), but these have always been self-limiting and have ultimately passed.

However, as these phases have passed, one specific phobia has always remained –claustrophobia.

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