In my last post, I presented general principles of good behavior in young children.  Today, I would like to follow up with specific recommendations – 15 rules that parents can use to help children learn to behave well (most of the time). 1)  Play (and work) with them often. This is the best way to…

I believe that children should be well behaved. Most parents, of course, want more for their children than just good behavior.  We want them to become caring and responsible adults. Still, more often than not, children who are cooperative and respect adult authority are also happy and confident children.  They are able to bounce back…

My father was a warm and generous man.  His passing, twenty years ago at age 85, remains a profound loss. As a boy, I looked up to him with admiration, even awe. When I was a teenager, we often argued.  (It was the sixties.  I believed that he was too cautious in his support for…

Young children are wide-eyed in their curiosity about the lives of their parents. For many years, I have advised parents to talk with their children about experiences in their own lives, especially when children are feeling worried, disappointed or sad.  Personal stories are helpful, for example, when children are anxious about their first day at…