Susan Newman's Blog, page 11

Think You’re Too Old to Have a Baby?

by Susan Newman, Ph.D.

If you think you may be too old to have a baby, think again. The trend is clear: more and more women in their late thirties and well into their forties are starting families.

A few weeks ago, the CBS Sunday Morning show looked at the increase in older women having babies. They talked with Dr. Joanne Stone, director, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York City about what she sees in her practice and with me about why more and more women are having children...

Only Child Benefits, According to Those Who Lived It

Photo by Crissy Pauley

By Susan Newman, Ph.D.

More and more parents who believe they want and can afford more children are moving in the one-child direction. Nonetheless, some worry about their child’s future without siblings, especially in adulthood when having a sibling may be supportive or comforting in the care of parents.

But as Tina, one thirty-year-old mother who has no plans to have more children, told me, “I don’t think I should live my current life worrying about the future. Too muc...

Mothers With One Child Are Happiest

Having an only child is desirable from a wide range of viewpoints and practicalities, but that doesn’t make decisions about family size any easier. Going from one child to two (or two to three or more) is a dilemma single parents and couples wrestle with, sometimes for years.

The mother of a three-year-old child talked to me about whether or not she really wants a second child. She is not an isolated case of men and women who are asking the same question.

The husband of an almost 40 year-old...

When Does Mothering Become Smothering?

By Susan Newman, Ph.D.

This article was originally posted onPsychology Today.

At the end of a talk to a group of parents by clinical psychologist Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D., a concerned parent asked for advice about her chronically forgetful son. He regularly left the books he needed for homework at school causing him to fall behind. Nothing the mother tried had helped.

Dr. Nadeau an expert on family dynamics and ADHD, suggested that the mother obtain a second set of schoolbooks to keep at home....

Shyness: Biologically Based? A Mental Disorder? or A Quirk?

Source: Photopin.com

By Susan Newman, Ph.D.

This article was originally posted onPsychology Today.

I listened to her parents beg, “Talk to your Uncle Steve.” From the time she was able to talk, with the exception being her father, Annie refused to speak to her uncle and most adult males. She spoke to her mother and her aunt at full tilt and somewhat to a few female grown-ups. At five-years-old, she would play games with me when we were together once or twice a year, but spoke as little as pos...

Sweethearts-in-Training: 15 Valentine Tips

Photo by John Lewis

By Susan Newman, Ph.D.

This article was originally posted on Psychology Today.

When we think about celebrating Valentine’s Day, most of us think of our spouse, our partner, or our would-be sweetheart. We hunt for the romantic, the gifts or gestures that assert or reconfirm our love. Yet the day is about much more than flowers and candy in heart-shaped boxes, especially if you have children.

How you treat your partner on Valentine’s Day speaks loudly to your offspring. They...

Spoiled? Not My Kid

Photo by Benjamin Earwicker/FreeImages.com

By Susan Newman, Ph.D.

This article was originally posted on Psychology Today.

Some professionals argue there’s no such thing as a spoiled child. I beg to differ.

A child whines for gum in the supermarket aisle and Mom takes down a packet from the rack to avoid a tantrum or “scene.” Your teenage son “must have” the electronic gizmo his friend just got and your preteen daughter claims she’s not too young to go to a concert with her friends without adu...

Do Children Need Siblings to Become Good Sports?

Image courtesy of Sura Nualpradid at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

By Susan Newman, Ph.D.

This article was originally posted on Psychology Today.

When you have one child, your in-laws, parents, friends, and perfect strangers are only too happy to tell you that your only child needs a brother or sister. Does he? If your toddler refuses to share a toy or take turns, even if the person doesn’t say the words, you know she is thinking: If that child had a sibling she wouldn’t behave this way.

In a comment...

Shyness: Biologically Based? A Mental Disorder? or A Quirk?

Source: Photopin.com

By Susan Newman, Ph.D.

This article was originally posted onPsychology Today.

I listened to her parents beg, “Talk to your Uncle Steve.” From the time she was able to talk, with the exception being her father, Annie refused to speak to her uncle and most adult males. She spoke to her mother and her aunt at full tilt and somewhat to a few female grown-ups. At five-years-old, she would play games with me when we were together once or twice a year, but spoke as little as pos...

Ready for Baby? Choosing Single Motherhood

photo by Sona Psotova

Once upon a time, “starting a family” required that a woman wait for a worthy man to marry her before she had any children. Nowadays there isn’t a singular, accepted path to motherhood. Some women get married and have babies, some move in with a partner and have them, some adopt, some have babies with several partners and increasingly some have babies all on their own. Currently about 18% of mothers under 40 had their babies while single, often by choice.

Should women bo...