Older Children

Moving

AnswerDad03 — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:15:37 GMT

This summer, we are expecting to move from the only home in which my kids have lived. We are anticipating our oldest to have a hard time with this transition, which will also involve her changing elementary school prior to first grade. I realize that some families move quite frequently, so I expect them to adjust, but we are struggling when and how to let the kids know. Does anyone have any advice? -- Chris, StrongMoms Facilitator

Whining

AnswerDad03 — Wed, 29 May 2013 14:59:32 GMT

My one daughter is nearing four years old but has recently begun whining about anything and everything. She is small physically for her age and sometimes also resorts to baby voice for attention when things don’t go her way. Has any parent experienced similar trends with their kids? What did you do about it? - Chris, StrongMoms Facilitator

Popular culture

AnswerDad03 — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:01:22 GMT

When my daughters came into our bedroom the other day dancing “Gangnam Style” I felt it was a sign of the apocalypse. Not that I care about the song so much, but because it was proof that my kids are being influenced by popular culture and that their innocence is slowly beginning to recede. What milestones have your children hit that makes you realize that you can’t completely control things to which your kids are exposed? -- Chris, StrongMoms Facilitator

Help! My Pre-Teen is FURIOUS over upcoming baby!

cdjern — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 08:51:21 GMT

My husband & I have been together 9yrs. We're expecting our 1st baby together May 24th. We both have a child from a previous relationship living w/us, his 15yr old son & my 13yr old daughter. His son is fine w/the new baby but my daughter, VERY UPSET. She doesn't want to hear anything about it, gets an attitude/argumentive when she sees items we buy & gifts given of things we'll need. She wants to move in w/her Grammy. She talks back, throws tantrums, complains & talks bad about it to family/friends, cries & argues why should she have to live here & be unhappy. Since she absolutely loves animals & normally so sweet, caring & kind I thought she'd be happy about the baby. I'm hurt & sad she's not so any helpful suggestions will be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

Very Different Kids

PediNurseJulie1 — Sun, 12 May 2013 23:31:25 GMT

My sister’s two kids are very different. One is quiet, thoughtful, and loves to read and cook. The other is loud, funny, and incredibly social and would go to a party every day if she could. I have noticed that my sister is really great about making sure they know she appreciates their different personalities equally. Did your parents do this for you and your siblings? Do you find it a challenge to do this for your kids? --Julie, Strongmoms facilitator

Homework Struggles! Ugh!

MommyRN4 — Wed, 01 May 2013 22:56:17 GMT

When my son gets off the bus, the last thing he wants to do is his homework, yet if I wait until later it just gets harder! When is a good time for him to do his homework? How do you get your child to do their homework every day?--Bonnie, Strongmoms facilitator

Vacation Ideas

PediNurseJulie1 — Wed, 08 May 2013 00:36:51 GMT

Where are your favorite places to go on vacation? I’m looking for some family friendly destinations and ideas to go with my extended family – younger and older children will be coming! --Julie, Strongmoms facilitator

Internet security

AnswerDad03 — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:52:57 GMT

My oldest daughter is in kindergarten and I am very pleased with the amount of exposure she is getting on the computer. Of course, she is now requesting to use our computer at home and wants to visit some children’s websites. It hasn’t happened yet, but the day is coming in the near future when she will be able to navigate the internet. At what age do you think it is appropriate to allow your kids to surf the internet independently? - Chris, StrongMoms Facilitator

Safety First!

PediNurseJulie1 — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:00:28 GMT

As my children get older and start to do various group activities and school, I know they will eventually get to the point where they will be invited over to play at other kids’ houses. With all the crazy stuff you see on the news these days, I feel really nervous about this! How do you handle your older children going to friend’s houses if you don’t know the parents well? I need some advice. -- Julie, StrongMoms Facilitator

Intentional parenting

PediNurseJulie1 — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 01:56:47 GMT

I recently heard a talk about intentional parenting and how we need to list the qualities we’d like to teach our children and the legacy we’d like to pass down to them so that we are aware of what we need to be teaching them. I thought it’d be fun to list a few things here. If I were to start, I’d say that I hope my children learn to be compassionate towards others and understand the value of hard work and perseverance. What about you? --Julie, Strongmoms facilitator

Riding the Bus

MommyRN4 — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:01:06 GMT

Letting my kids ride the bus is very convenient for me, but I often wonder what happens on the bus and whether my kids are being harassed or ridiculed on the bus by older kids. I have heard horror stories from some of my friends who have older children, but my kids don't seem to be unhappy about riding the bus yet. What do you think? Was riding the school bus a good experience or horrible one for you or your children? ~Bonnie, StrongMoms Facilitator

Sharing rooms

AnswerDad03 — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:48:23 GMT

With the arrival of our fourth baby, the clock will be ticking for us to have one of our girls move into a room with another. We have four bedrooms, meaning either our 2-year old will have to move in with our four-year old, or our four-year old will have to move in with our five-year old. Assuming space is not an issue, which combination do you think will work better? -- Chris, StrongMoms Facilitator

Funny things kids say

PediNurseJulie1 — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:56:11 GMT

I am loving this older, more talkative stage of my son’s life. He is 3 and able to say some pretty funny, imaginative stuff. Share a funny story that involves your kids and something they did/said recently. :) --Julie, Strongmoms facilitator

Lying -

PediNurseJulie1 — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 23:18:42 GMT

I’m catching my son lying to me more and more lately (he is 3) and also arguing with me about basic things such as putting his shoes on, etc. Is it worth making a big deal out of these incidents? How do you teach your little kids about truth telling when they don’t really understand a lot of logic yet? --Julie, StrongMoms Facilitator

Video Games

AnswerDad03 — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 23:23:31 GMT

My wife and I have been hesitant to introduce video games to our daughters for many reasons. They do play computer games and have learning tablets geared for their ages, but we have not purchased a game console. What is your philosophy regarding video games for your kids and what system/games do you recommend? -- Chris, StrongMoms Facilitator

Inside Voice

AnswerDad03 — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 19:47:50 GMT

My oldest daughter is in kindergarten and she has a great vocabulary and is on the fast track to learning to read. However, she has never been able to master the concept of using an inside voice when inside, and is constantly almost yelling when telling common stories or having a conversation. We have corrected her and at times given her timeout for this, but it only works for a short time. Has anyone had similar problems/concerns? -- Chris, StrongMoms Facilitator

Baby #3 is on the way

marinewifeofthree — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 02:00:28 GMT

How do you moms manage I have a three year old and a one year old when the baby gets here they will be close to 4 and 2 and a newborn I am scared that I dont know I can handle that hopefully my three year old will be potty trained by then and my two year old will finally be eating solid food instead of baby food we are really hoping for a boy this time cause im sure im done having kids my husband is in the military and wants to get out.

Sharing a room

PediNurseJulie1 — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 19:18:25 GMT

My little boy is now 4 months old and we are ready to move him into the room he is sharing with his 3 year old brother. I have no idea how to begin going about putting them down together. I could probably put my 3 year old to bed first (since he is the heavier sleeper) and then put my baby down to sleep afterwards. How do you deal with the baby waking up to eat without getting everyone up? :-/ --Julie, StrongMoms Facilitator

Handwriting Troubles!

MommyRN4 — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 03:50:24 GMT

My son is great in math and science, but when it comes to handwriting he is horrible at it. He constantly writes too big or too close together and his writing is not improving in spite of extra help. In this day and age of computers should I even be worried about his handwriting? – Bonnie, StrongMoms Facilitator

To ride the bus or not to ride the bus??

MommyRN4 — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 05:00:49 GMT

My children currently ride the bus to and from school every day and have enjoyed it for the last 2 years. My sister, on the other hand, won’t let her kids ride the bus because of some of the awful things that can occur on buses. Do you let your kids ride the bus or do you agree that it is a bad place to be? -- Bonnie, StrongMoms Facilitator

10 month old, and pregnant again!

jazzybear09 — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:46:01 GMT

My daughter Jasmine is 10 months old, and I'm 8 weeks pregnant. My morning sickness was so bad the first time around, thankfully it's not as bad this time. I don't know how I'll be able to handle it. Jasmine will be about 18 months by the time this one is born, and honestly I'm freaking out. My husband seems to be doing okay, but then again, he's not at home all day everyday with a baby. I love being a stay-at-home mom, but can I do it with 2 kids? I guess these are normal worries, right?

Christmas toy ideas!

PediNurseJulie1 — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 02:11:53 GMT

At Christmas time, so many toys and games are on sale. My husband and I realized we have a woeful amount of board games and want to stock up on some to have when our kids are older. What are some of your old classic favorites? Any new ones you've found that you like?

4 yr old and pregnancy issue...

HavenPaige — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 14:27:33 GMT

Hello everyone. Im Haven. im haveing a few issues at home.This is my 2nd pregnancy and im only a little over 2 months so my morning sickness is crazy. i Have a 4 yr old at home and i feel like shes being left out alot and i belive she feels like that also. im just so sick all the time, im lost and realy just dont know what to do,It kinda breaks my heart.ive tried everything i can think of for the morning (aka all day) sickness. i dont get to go to my first obgyn visit untill the 27th of this month so i cant get anything to help till then. im just lost. my frist pregnancy went so smooth. okay i feel a little better after venting. i just want to make sure my daughter knows i dont feel any diffrent about her.

thanks for listening to me vent.

Haven

3 yr old won't go to bed anymore! HELP

Panda101307 — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 04:38:17 GMT

We switched rooms around 2 wks before our new son was born. The baby is 3 1/2 weeks old and it's only gotten worse. My 3 yr old will NOT stay in his room. He wants someone to stay in there with him till e falls asleep. I can't do this with the baby. My husband works most nights so I'm on my own for bedtime. Even ifi stay in there he ends up waking in the night. We've tried disciplining, nurturing, seeing if he'll fall asleep to a movie! Nothing works. I need help, advise. Don't know what to do anymore!

Trouble with my 5 year old

Lovefamily6 — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 22:39:57 GMT

My oldest is 5 and will be 6 in March. He has just started school. Everything was going well and now he is have a ton of trouble. He is hitting, not listening and not doing his work. I hate picking him up everyday with a bad report. I just want him to have a good time and to listen to his teacher. Any ideas on how to help would be great.