Neil Newman, a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst in Manhattan, treats parents and children over 5 years old, many of whom are struggling with sleep battles. “If I had to generalize,” he said, “I’d say it usually has something to do with separation or boundaries. It might be a problem of anxiety, but mostly the origin of the problem is the difficulty parents have in setting appropriate limits. It’s commonly believed in the mental health field that it’s important the children learn to sleep on their own. Not doing it often generalizes to other problems, because it’s about a fairly important way that parents say no to their child.”

Labels: children, kids, parents, sleep

Ask a mom if she's happier now that she has a child and she'll usually say yes. In fact, around the world, children top the list of the most enjoyable things in life... Being the mom of a young child (especially one under 3) is rich and rewarding, but also a real strain on your mood... On their list of pleasurable activities, moms rank it lower than eating, exercising, or watching TV... In fact, kid care rates only slightly higher than housework, working, or commuting... One reason for the discrepancy between moms and experts: selective memory. When psychologists ask moms in a general way whether they like spending time with their kids, the overwhelming majority say they do because they're thinking of fun activities such as reading a book or playing in the park. When they're specifically asked to describe their actual daily routine, they remember the hours they spent struggling to get their child dressed or ready for bed.

Labels: child care, happiness, motherhood, tips

Their parents go out of their way to please them, and teachers expect less of them than some of their European counterparts.

"If you take the percentage of young mothers in the labour force, it's not very high in comparison to comparable countries... There is a strong tendency for mothers to raise children or take a long time off work after children are born."... children are used to a "highly protective, highly positive caring environment."

The Dutch are famous for their liberal attitudes towards drinks, drugs and sex. "Because parents are more relaxed, the dynamics of the problems are less severe than in countries where they are seen as more of a serious issue."

Labels: children, dutch, happiness, Holland, Netherlands

Before I had kids, I never imagined how challenging it would be to make new mom friends -- or master the Art of Mom Networking. I'm not talking about socializing with friends you already know who happen to be mothers. I mean connecting with complete strangers so that your children will have friends and not grow up to be homebound deviant sociopaths. Count yourself lucky if you have the opportunity to meet interesting new moms in hospitable territory -- at a neighbor's house, through a mutual friend or at church. Breaking in cold to an already established group of bonded mothers can feel exactly like being back in junior high school -- and I don't mean that in a good way.

Labels: mom network, moms

How do you avoid becoming the family that got kicked off an airplane after their crying 3-year-old refused to take her seat?

Experts say rewarding kids for cooperation, distracting them with simple games and telling them in advance what's going to happen can help. But at the end of the day, you may just have to take control, restrain the child, and comply with the rules.

Labels: kids, tantrum, traveling

Labels: oldest mom