When my oldest boy was really young, he tickled my mother with that phrase. I would ask him, "What's the matter?" and he would answer me, "Well, what the matter is..." followed by whatever it was that he needed to discuss with me. He would say it with that very serious face that children get when they are expecting to be taken very seriously. We all loved the cute way he prefaced his concerns. I overheard my daughter talking to my two year old the other day and it caused me to remember those days long ago when her older brother used to talk about 'what the matter is....

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Let's be honest! When it comes to parenting, men expecttheir wives or partners to do the lion's share. There are signs that we're moving toward a more enlightenedage in which ALL parents play their part. But in the meantime, let's concentrate on some help fortired moms. Apparently the number one question mothers ask their doctorsis, "How can I get more energy?" Fatigue is a serious problem when it robs us of ourhappiness, our sense of balance, and even our effectiveparenting skills. So what's the answer?...

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Well first off, please to don't institute the Ѕ hour of mandatory reading that so many schools and parents are so keen on these days. You want to encourage a life-long love of reading and frankly you would be much more likely to succeed by banning reading in your house then by turning reading into yet another chore that needs to be done. Secondly, you want to make sure that your child doesn't have some learning disability that makes reading hard and uncomfortable. Even a child who makes good grades can have some undetected condition that makes reading difficult....

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Picture this. Your child comes home with a special assignment from school. He's very excited about it and puts in a lot of time to perfect it. He's thrilled with the result and can't wait to take it to school. A few days later, he comes through the door, picks a fight with a younger sibling and bursts into tears. Finally, he manages to tell you that the project he was so proud of was 'unacceptable,' that the teacher wants him to do it over. What's your first reaction? a) Protective - "I'll straighten this out....

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When David was nine and Laura was twelve, the battles started. Prior to that, they got along great. Laura was always protective of her little brother, and he in turn, doted on her. Perhaps it was about needing space, asserting independence? whatever the reason, it drove my husband and I crazy. It would start over the tiniest of excuses. One minute the house would be quiet, and the next they'd be shouting at one another. "Mom, Laura won't give my CD back!" "It's not yours. It's mine!" "No it isn't....

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Q: Our son has been in honors classes all through school up until his junior year last year, when his grades took a dive. What could be going on and what can we do about it? A: The cause of suddenly declining grades in school can often be found in one of seven categories. Many times it's not just one issue, but a combination of issues. Seven deadly reasons and then what to do about them 1) Some very bright kids have gotten through school so far by just showing up. They are bright enough to simply show up for class on a regular basis, listen with half an ear, and still do very well....

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Q. Things have been relatively calm and OK with our 16-year-old son so far. Now all of a sudden, there is a huge battle about curfew. He wants to stay out later and later, and we don't think he is ready. How do we set appropriate curfew in our house? A. Here are a few basic principles on which you and your teen can build: *Curfew is for the convenience of the parents, not the teens. Parents want to know what time their teens will be home so the parents can sleep when they need to. Be careful not to get this principle turned around the wrong way....

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There are many parenting styles. Yours may be very different from your own parents, your siblings, or your neighbors. There is no right or wrong parenting style. If you are teaching your children basic values and good citizenship, you have already won half the battle. There are some basic character traits that are necessary for children to develop into good citizens and role models. Instilling these values in your children will provide them with a strong foundation on which they can base their lives and build their futures....

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According to a September 2004 study by the RAND Corporation,"Adolescents who watch large amounts of television containing sexualcontent are twice as likely to begin engaging in sexual intercourse inthe following year as their peers who watch little such TV." Inaddition, the National Institutes of Health-funded study found thatthese children's sexual behavior was akin to those adolescents who were9 to 17 months older, but who watched only average amounts of TV withsexual content. "Television habits predicted whetheradolescents went to 'second or third base,' as well as whether they hadsex for the first time," said Rebecca Collins, a RAND psychologist wholed the study....

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John Bishop's Goal Setting for Students. com Legacy to Your Children It's 6:30 at night and you just got home from a long day at work, but the day's not over yet. First, there's dinner, then homework and don't forget the chores. And, you have to finish a proposal for an important meeting tomorrow morning. Add a little stress from the monthly bills and the possibility of your company being downsized and you have pressures of the far too many US families. In addition, your children live in a rapid paced, MTV world where they are bombarded with media messages that define success as "...

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One fantastic way to get your children involved in what they are eating, is to have them help. A great way to start is to let them make up their lunch for the next day. Obviously you will need to set some guidelines. For example, when I turned 9 I was allowed to make up my own lunch. In my girlfriends' houses they were 10 and in some others 11. However, we all felt very important and grown up that we were allowed to make up our own lunch. Again, my mom had certain guidelines. We had to pick a lunch meat, fruit or yogurt and bread to put it on (white, wheat, rye or a roll;...

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How Much More for the 6-Year Plan? Why Has This Happened? There are several key reasons for this national and state trend. First, many young people do not know what their desired major is. With a curriculum that is a mile wide and an inch deep, young people may not have the school time to adequately explore their interests. Second, many young people do not plan for the challenges that they will be experiencing. In a survey revealed that both college freshman and sophomores did not realize that their coursework was remedial and did not count towards their degrees....

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