Susan Newman's Blog, page 9

Will You Be a New Traditional Family?

A question I get a lot is, “Are one-child families normal?” It’s not only normal—it’s a trend. More and more parents are electing to only have one child with cities across America and countries around the world seeing more and more singleton households. Why is this happening?

Despite an increase in only children, many harmful and unfair stereotypes about only children persist. Read on for more about the phenomenon and its benefits, and help in deciding if a small family should be part of your...

9 Signs Your Child Has Entitlement Issues

What parent doesn’t want the best for their child? Yet, when children get everything they ask for—the extravagant birthday celebration; the latest toy; a huge pile of holiday gifts; something “Right this minute!”—parents risk encouraging a sense of entitlement. It’s natural to want to indulge them, to be involved and protective, but parents should take note when their child thinks more about “Me, me, me” than others.

When does love become over-indulgence? Here are nine signs your child has en...

5 Top Parenting Challenges and How to Deal with Them

Whining. Talking back. Not listening. Tantrums. Aggression. Most parents deal with these unpleasant behaviors—some more than others. How are parents supposed to cope with actions that often upset them?

Rebecca Eanes, who founded the website Positive-Parents.org, polled thousands of parents to see which challenging behaviors irked them the most. She offers advice in a new book, focusing especially on how to discipline in a positive way. Read on for tips to end power struggles and move toward h...

What Great Parents Do: Are You Doing It?

What’s the best kind of parenting style? What’s the right way to discipline a child? What are parents supposed to do when they make a mistake? Are you a good parent?

As a parent, you might ask yourself these questions often. Thankfully, others have, too. Seemingly every day, there’s new information that helps parents do their jobs. Drawing from new research and her expertise as a clinical psychologist and parenting educator, Dr. Erica Reischer wrote “What Great Parents Do: 75 Simple Strategie...

6 Benefits for Children of “Older Mothers”

Does it seem to you that there are more “older” women today becoming first-time mothers than in the past? You’d be right—a growing number of first-time mothers are in their 30s, 40s and beyond. In the last two decades, women having babies in their mid-forties or older has increased threefold. At the same time, fewer women between 20 and 24 become moms. Despite some possible health risks, it’s clear more see the appeal in giving birth “later.”

Science is on women’s side, with advances like in-...

Is Empty Nest a Myth?

You saw it coming for eighteen years, and the moment is here: Your child is going off to college. You’ve likely heard of “Empty Nest Syndrome,” wherein a child’s departure for college and adulthood is said to be such an emotional burden that it’s unnerving, uncomfortable, and even painful. This theory also suggests that the emotions that parents experience is even more difficult to endure than the stresses of raising small children.

New research, however, says the opposite. Is Empty Nest exag...

13 Warning Signs Your Child May Have a Mental Health Issue

Approximately one in five children is afflicted with an emotional or behavioral disorder. As a parent, who has a strong and instinctive need to protect your child from any harm, pinpointing issues in the mental health area can be challenging. With an alarming wound, a rash that doesn’t go away or a broken bone, for instance, it’s clearly time to see a doctor. But it’s different when the signs aren’t so obvious. Many parents are at a loss of what to do next.

If your child has unexplainable out...

What It’s Like on Both Sides of the Therapy Couch

Ever wonder what your therapist thinks about you? Therapists: Are you curious about the impression you make on a patient? In a new book exploring both sides of the couch—with essays by 22 patients and 12 therapists—readers can begin to understand the enigma of therapy.

The stories are engrossing and fascinating in their honesty and accounts from therapists in particular underscore how human they are, their differing approaches to patients and points of view, and how they remain professional—w...

Sweethearts-in-Training: 15 Valentine Tips

Photo by John Lewis

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 are watching and absor...

Only Child Benefits, According to Those Who Lived It

Photo by Crissy Pauley

More and more parents who believe they want and can afford more children are moving in the one-child direction. Nonetheless, some worry about the future of their only child 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 much can happen...