Temperament is the natural, inborn style of behavior of each individual. It's the how of behavior, not the why.... The question is... not, "Why does he behave a certain way if he doesn't get a cookie?" but rather, "When he doesn't get a cookie, how does he express his displeasure...?" The environment--and your behavior as a parent--can influence temperament and interplay with it, but it is not the cause of temperamental characteristics.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Excessive attention, even if it's negative, is such a powerful "reward" to a child that it actually reinforces the undesirable beh...avior. You need to learn restraint, to respond to far fewer situations, to ask yourself questions like, "Is this really important?" "Could I let this behavior go?" "What would happen if I just wait?" "Could I lose by doing nothing?"LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Particularly in the early years of the child's development, parents may get different opinions from professionals who view the chi...ld in different settings. A pediatrician seeing the child in a busy office diagnoses "attention deficit disorder"; a nursery school teacher who observes the child in an unruly classroom calls him "hyperactive" ... a psychologist or psychiatrist ... decides he's very active but not "hyper" and talks of emotional and family problems; while a neurologist, meeting with the child on a one-to-one basis,... says he is "normal."LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Nature, we are starting to realize, is every bit as important as nurture. Genetic influences, brain chemistry, and neurological de...velopment contribute strongly to who we are as children and what we become as adults. For example, tendencies to excessive worrying or timidity, leadership qualities, risk taking, obedience to authority, all appear to have a constitutional aspect.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
How can you tell if you discipline effectively? Ask yourself if your disciplinary methods generally produce lasting results in a m...anner you find acceptable. Whether your philosophy is democratic or autocratic, whatever techniques you use--reasoning, a "star" chart, time-outs, or spanking--if it doesn't work, it's not effective.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »