Tag: daughter

When you reward bad behavior, you literally wire your child’s brain to repeat the bad behavior. No parent intends to do that, but it happens so easily. When you know how, you will reward only good behavior, and give your child a good start.

Imagine that your child grabs a cookie from someone. You tell them it’s not nice, but you let them keep the cookie. "Just this once."

A young brain learns from the cookie more than your words. Cookies trigger dopamine, the brain’s reward chemical. Dopamine paves a neural pathway that turns on more of the good feeling in similar future circumstances. That wires a brain to expect grabbing to get rewards. Each reward strengthens the pathway.

When your child is first diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, your world can be turned upside down. You and your spouse will both learn new ways to cope with emotions, balancing appointments, and more. Siblings of autistic children have an adjusting period as well. There are many questions, feelings, and concerns they will have. Explaining autism to siblings in a positive way is extremely important.

A recent report from the medical journal JAMA Neurology highlights the fact that women represent nearly two-thirds of all elder care and says, "the best long-term care insurance in this country is a conscientious daughter." That may be good news for older Americans who are lucky to have an adult child caring for them, but could spell bad news for their daughters. "Daughter care," as some have coined it, can be risky business for a woman.

At one time or another all parents struggle with discipline—establishing and enforcing limits, and getting their kids to speak to them respectfully and do what they're supposed to do. But remember, discipline isn’t only about correction. Discipline is also about teaching kids to control themselves and care about others so they can grow up to be productive members of society. Here are some approaches you can use to help your kids do just that:

A few weeks ago, my father, aka Big Daddy, "graduated from the school of life with honors," as I refer to it. He was quietly a remarkable man who raised four successful kids, surviving the death of his oldest son 36 years ago, and continuing to live with honor, dignity and integrity. After living with cancer for 13 years and having a few health scares over that time, my family and I were somewhat prepared for his mortality, and when his body was too tired from his long and graceful fight, we knew it was time for him to go.

If you and your spouse are the proud parents of an infant or toddler, you may not have encountered picky eating, yet… be thankful, it’s not always pretty!

Virtually every young child goes through some level of picky eating at one time or another. Parents that have kids who turn out to be "good eaters" will tell you the key to successfully navigating these stages is to put firm and healthful eating habits in place from the beginning, and then stick to them, even when the going gets tough.

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching—along with all the romance, roses and chocolate traditionally part of the day's celebration. But here’s the thing... why should Valentine’s Day be reserved for romance alone? Why don't we celebrate love itself?

A Canadian resident, Karri Carberry, 19, was introduced to a band called "Three Days Grace" by her Dad a number of years ago, a passion they happily shared. So when the band was scheduled to play in Edmonton, Alberta, she immediately got tickets and invited her Dad to come with. There was just one hiccup; her Dad is deaf. This, however, did not deter either of them. Karri interpreted the lyrics in sign language for her Dad, so he too could enjoy the concert. When other members of the audience—at first annoyed by Karri’s signing ("What is that girl up to?!")—realized what she was doing, they were astounded, and ended up entranced by her interaction with her Dad.