Parenting Our Children

It breaks my heart to see my once happy and confident daughter depressed and isolated from her peers.

Many of the challenges and subsequent skills necessary for sleepaway camp are relevant for young men and women who go to yeshivos and seminaries in Israel after high school.

In most homes, as women prepare to join the Seder (hopefully, somewhat rested), the anticipatory anxiety associated with the "P" word (pre-Pesach angst) is no longer. The cleaning, preparations, shopping and cooking are now a thing of the past. And finally, the Hagaddah's legacy of yetzias Mitzrayim (exodus from Egypt) takes front stage.

The disorder is far more disabling than people realize, and consumes untold hours and outputs of energy.

As we said, you cannot get rid of a bad habit, you can only change it. But, how?

When the parent-teen relationship is strained or just needs improvement parents can utilize outside help to bring about a change. When necessary, one of the most effective ways of wielding indirect control is by having the teenager meet with a mentor. As a third person, uninvolved in family conflicts, a mentor is able to interact with a teenager and provide an informal means of solving problems at school, help the teen do homework or simply be a friend.

The point is that we can’t behave right when we don’t feel right. And kids can’t behave right when they don’t feel right.

In her ninety-eighth year my mother beat pneumonia twice. She always said that she would know when her time was up – and she did. People would ask her what she attributed her many years to. Though she was not raised in a religious home, she would always say that Hashem knew what He was doing. We learn in the Torah when one honors parents the reward is a long life. She was certainly proof of this.

In last week’s column, two parents asked how to better motivate their children (a 12-year-old girl and 8-year-old boy) to improve their davening. In the response, we discussed four prerequisites for inspired tefillah – for adults – and some of the ramifications as they pertain to the chinuch of our children.

You probably automatically crossed a one specific leg over the other. Now, switch legs. Does this feel unnatural? Probably.

Dear Rabbi Horowitz: Our 10-year-old son, the oldest of our six children, has a very strong-willed personality and is very energetic. He has a very hard time sitting in school all day. (He attends school from 8:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m.) At home, he is frustrated with having to sit and do his homework. He often has temper tantrums when asked to do his work. My husband says that he is lazy and self-centered. I agree, in part, but isn't this what all children are like? Don't we have to teach them how to act properly? Thanks, Rachel

Parents fight a daily internal battle to “attain a balance between teaching children that they must do their best, and teaching them that they are ‘the best’ regardless of what they do…

When an opportunity for a fresh start is handed to us, when that new door opens, it is often viewed as a gift from Hashem. In most cases in order to completely realize it, we must fully embrace it. For people transitioning into marriage the second time around this is often the reality they face: a new opportunity seldom comes without a price, without us having to, in some way, compromise the life we were accustomed to. Seamlessly blending “pre re-marriage” life with “post re-marriage, new blended family” life is difficult at best and often times takes many years to sort its’ way out.

It is a testament to the authenticity and devotion of the staff at Our Place - a group of drop-in centers in Flatbush that cater to what most people would simply term "at-risk" teens - that none of them wanted to be mentioned by name in this article. In fact, the majority of them were even cautious about speaking with a reporter, so protective are they of their children, whom they consider very nearly their own.

How can you notice this imbalance in your children? Pay attention to the way they speak.

Fifth-grader Yitzi cannot speak in front of the classroom. In fact, it is a wrestling act just to get him into the classroom to begin with. He refuses to get together with friends after school and spends much of his time at home alone in his bedroom. When his parents try to speak with him to try to figure out what is wrong, he cannot answer. Instead, he turns red and starts to sweat.

The boys were all in the schoolyard during recess. A few were playing handball, some chasing each other for tag, and one or two involved in reading a book. Binny was one of the boys playing tag and he accidentally stepped on Chaim’s toe.

For most children, listening is the first entry point into a text, and we finally have the technology to allow children (and adults) to listen to almost any printed book.

If NVLD is misunderstood, these children can develop more serious emotional problems such as depression, anxiety, and phobias.

Both instilling motivation and creating a safe space are integral parts of learning, helping students feel that they both want to learn and that the conditions are right for learning.

We believe that effective school change happens when all stakeholders – administrators, faculty, parents, counselors, and students – come together to identify problems and work on solutions.

What easier method to ensure that they are really studying their brochos than by sponsoring a schoolwide brochos contest with much fanfare?

This is a handy little jingle for parents to keep in mind, but even though it's short, my rhyme is not for little children. In order to adequately prepare our children we must first be aware of the red flags ourselves. Then we need to schedule an "annual check-up" with our children and clearly and calmly bring up the subject of personal safety.

For adults, this twelve-step guide can certainly be helpful in building new pathways in the brain to create resilience. But, what can you do for children?

Q: My nineteen-year-old daughter was set up on a date a little while ago. We spoke to many of his references, all of whom...

Many students adapt very well to school; they feel good about themselves and their school work. For others, however, school is threatening. Getting through an average school day for some children is fraught with anxiety-producing situations and painful moments.

Some people object to the practice of invented spelling, arguing that it produces bad habits that can be carried over into adulthood.

See your blind spots. Before we resist the feedback, it’s important to recognize that perhaps maybe other people see things that we do not.

All of her friends were telling her that Chaim was just stubborn and gave her millions of suggestions of how to “nip it in the bud.” But, Zahava wasn’t sure.

People with self-esteem have a strong sense of their own worth, which leads them to stand up for themselves when others attempt to put them down.