ArcaMax

Question: We’ve just been informed that our 7-year-old son has been effectively “expelled” from the private school he attended last year because of repeated instances of stealing small items from classmates and, on one occasion, from the teacher’s desk. We’re rather shocked because our son was the highest-performing student in ...Read more

I call it “Vitamin N.” It is the word children need to hear most, but it is currently the word children hear least. It is arguably the most character-building word in the English language, but then helping children achieve great things (or creating the illusion that they are achieving great things) has eclipsed helping children build strong ...Read more

Do you need a parent-nanny? Not a nanny for your child, mind you, but one for YOU!

I recently introduced my readers to what I call “upside-down, inside-out and turned around backwards parent-view disorder” (the column in question is currently posted on johnrosemond.com). The symptoms of this ubiquitous malady include pervasive ...Read more

For several reasons, I am not a fan of parenting magazines. First, they reinforce the impression that child-rearing is a very complicated affair, requiring consulting with “experts” on a regular basis (and yes, I am fully aware of the irony of that statement). Second, with every issue, said publications raise the Good Mommy Bar by giving ...Read more

I was honored to be a guest on my good friend Dennis Prager’s syndicated radio program the other day and as anyone who is familiar with my point-of-view on parenting matters will appreciate, much of the conversation centered on the need for children to obey.

Children should obey, I maintain, because—and solid research confirms common sense...Read more

Many of today’s parents suffer (and suffer they do, albeit a good number seem to feel their suffering is a sign of conscientious parenting) from what I call “upside-down, inside-out and backwards parent-view disorder.”

First, an explanation of the term “parent-view.” Just as one’s worldview consists of beliefs concerning the meaning...Read more

Question: Our 4-year-old prefers solitary play over play with other children. It’s been this way from early on when I began arranging play dates for him. When those really didn’t work, I enrolled him in pre-school but that didn’t help either. If firmly instructed to do so, he will join in and “play” with other children. I put ...Read more

Question: We have just moved and are seeking a new school for our two children – 6- and 8-year-old boys. They are smart, respectful of adults, and creative. We know that sounds like typical bragging, but it is what our friends and their teachers have all told us. We raise them in as traditional a manner as we can, given the opposing ...Read more

Question: Our 18-year-old daughter is a month away from high school graduation and she is failing nearly every class! About six months ago, she took up with a group of young adults who are less than desirable, to say the least. Some of them are dropouts. I suspect drugs and alcohol. The more we tried to prevent her from running with this ...Read more

By the time this column appears in most papers to which it is distributed, Mother’s Day 2017 will have come and gone. Nonetheless, I’m going to talk about mothers—one in particular.

To begin with, assuming one believes his or her mother is worthy of admiration, then said esteem ought to be expressed on a frequent basis and not reserved ...Read more

I fully expected my recent column on ADHD -- in which I expanded upon noted Harvard psychologist (emeritus) Jerome Kagan’s contention that it is an “invention” -- to stir the pot. Kagan said what I’ve been saying in this column and everywhere the ...Read more

Dear American Parent (hopefully, you will recognize yourself),

It’s high time someone reminded you of the adage “The road to ‘Hades’ is paved with good intentions.”

I have watched you from near and far as you have gone about raising your children. You’re certainly a well-intentioned person, thus my reference...Read more

Question: I’ve read enough of your writings to know that you believe children should be obedient, that they should do what they are told. I want my children to think for themselves and to question authority, not to blindly obey simply because someone is bigger than they are. I don’t want them thinking that “might makes right.” ...Read more

Question: Our 17-year-old son is an unmotivated student. A junior in high school, he is clearly capable of making straight A’s, but typically makes B’s and C’s. He plays on both the football and tennis teams, but is a standout at neither. He thinks kids who use drugs and play video games are “stupid” and his friends are all ...Read more

In 2009, pediatrician and former medical school professor Bose Ravenel and I published “The Diseasing of America’s Children” (Thomas Nelson), in which we argued from facts that ADHD and other childhood behavior disorders were inventions of the psychological-psychiatric-pharmaceutical industry.

Cancer, high cholesterol, influenza, measles,...Read more

Question: You seem to blame all of America’s parenting woes on mental health professionals and imply that if parents still raised kids as did people in the 1950s and before, they wouldn’t be having the problems they’re having today. But times have changed, John. Is it realistic to think that children can still be raised like their...Read more