Author – The Durango Herald

Don't try to socialize your shy 3-year old

Q: My 3-year-old is somewhat shy and introverted. She socializes well enough at preschool, but on the weekends she just wants to hang out with family. As an introverted person myself, I’m fi...

DATE: Jan 9, 2016 | CATEGORY: Family

Connecting with the uncooperative child

Q: I have an 8-year-old girl who loves to turn on the passive aggression when she doesn’t get what she wants. It usually occurs when we need to go somewhere, often walking to school with her...

DATE: Dec 25, 2015 | CATEGORY: Family

PARENTING-QANDA

Q: This morning, I needed two cookies to get my 2-year-old son out of the house to go to day care. One cookie was for putting on his coat, and the other one was for getting into the car seat...

DATE: Dec 10, 2015 | CATEGORY: Family

Weighing tactics in the homework wars

Q: My second-grader has started resisting doing homework. I am unsure what approach to take while also giving him time to relax and play. If I offer incentives (no TV/game time or dessert un...

DATE: Nov 13, 2015 | CATEGORY: Family

Son just wants to feel pretty

Q: I am wondering how to handle my 3-year-old son who only wants to wear his 5-year-old sister’s dresses and clothes. If I insist that he wear his clothes, he gets upset and breaks down in s...

DATE: Nov 6, 2015 | CATEGORY: Family

Teach a tween respect while respecting him

Q: I frequently catch my 10-year-old son being rude to grown-ups. We model “please” and “thank you” in our home, and I always correct him when I see it, but other than that, what can I do? I...

DATE: Oct 17, 2015 | CATEGORY: Family

Here's the deal, little negotiator

Q: My 7-year-old is a big-time negotiator on just about everything: how many treats, how long for screen time, punishments, how long he has to clean. Literally anything we want to do he come...

DATE: Sep 18, 2015 | CATEGORY: Family

How to reconnect after a difficult period

Q: How does a busy working mom rebuild a fun and loving relationship with her very bright, sensitive, high-functioning autistic 5-year-old son? He has felt to her more like a “project” than ...

DATE: Sep 11, 2015 | CATEGORY: Family

What he doesn't know can hurt him

Special to The Washington Post Q: I have a very happy, optimistic 9-year-old who is also the youngest. The downside to all that happiness and optimism is that he seems to live in ...

DATE: Sep 4, 2015 | CATEGORY: Family

Unforced friendship

Q: My 6-year-old is starting first grade, and I’d like her to make a more substantial friend. She is friendly and funny and friends with many of her kindergarten classmates, but she doesn’t ...

DATE: Sep 1, 2015 | CATEGORY: Family

A toddler learns about lying

Q: My almost-3-year-old is starting to figure out that he can lie when asked if he ripped the book, threw the food, hit his brother, etc. Totally normal, I know. How do we respond? I don’t w...

DATE: Aug 20, 2015 | CATEGORY: Family

About birds and bees and PG-13s

Q: Can you suggest a response to a 6-year-old who has read the rating information for a PG-13 (I think) movie and asks, “What are ‘sexual situations’?” A: This is life handing you...

DATE: Aug 6, 2015 | CATEGORY: Family