9 Back at School Tips for Parents

9 Back at School Tips for Parents

Back-to-school time is stressful for kids. For dads, too. Elizabeth Hartley-Brewer, parenting expert and author of Making Friends: A Guide to Understanding and Nurturing Your Child's Friendships, offers her top nine strategies for easing the bambinos back into school without all the muss and fuss. Go to Smartman Daily for the full article and author biography. 

1. Show interest in your child's day-but don't interrogate. 

2. Stay close to home. 

3. Don't be late. 

4. Don't push visits to and from friends too soon. 

5. Take their fears and feelings seriously.

6. Trust that they will do well.

7. Don't criticize teachers or the school--or their friends.

8. Encourage independence and self-help skills. 

9. Keep criticism to a minimum. 

The Dad Difference: How To Encourage Autonomy

The Dad Difference: How to Encourage Autonomy

Fathers today are far more involved in their children's lives than dads of previous generations. Nowadays dads attend parent-teacher conferences, help with homework, and drive carpool. And while their growing involvement in parenting is terrific for kids, Dads' share with mothers the panic and stress whenever their kids compete. Despite the stereotype that successful kids have parents who push them, research shows that eliminating parental pressure is the best way to help children excel.Wendy Grolnick and Kathy Seal, co-authors of Pressured Parents, Stressed Out Kids, share their thoughts on staying involved, letting go of control, and encouraging your child's autonomy. Check out this exclusive article on Smartman Daily.

Where Dads Go Wrong With Discipline

Where Dads Go Wrong With Discipline

Not sure of the best way to go about disciplining your defiant child or teenager? The last thing you want to do is become a dad who "means business," or the father who raises his voice and "makes" his kids listen. Dads who have a "punishment mentality" don't teach their children to make positive changes in their behavior. Instead, these dads use shame, and intimidation to influence their kids to behave differently. As a "yeller in recovery," Jeffrey Bernstein, PhD., family psychologist and author of Liking the Child You Love, shares six smart strategies for disciplining your child on Smartman Daily.