Here are links to the articles Parents Toolshop® offers on school issues: ·         How Can My Family Get Back Into The School Routine Successfully? ·         School Age Child Development Stages: What are 10 Tips for Kindergarten Readiness? ·         What is the Recipe for Success in School? ·         Back to School Tips for Teens Entering High School ·         Back to School Tips for Teens Headed to College ·         How Do I Express Concerns and Build Teamwork During a Parent Teacher Conference? ·         Looking for Homework... (Read More ...)

Jessica’s daughter, Lucy has been begging to get a pet. Lucy has spent time researching “best family dogs” and “best dogs for children” on the internet.  She has even compiled a list of “why you should adopt a pet” and has been sharing it with her friends. Jessica and her husband both grew up with a dog and know the love and companionship a pet can give a child.  They are tempted to get a pet, but are also aware of how much time a dog needs to be trained, groomed and taken care of on a daily basis. Jessica would love to let Lucy pick out the dog of her dreams, but is just not sure... (Read More ...)

Susan is shocked as she picks up her seven-year-old daughter at school and sees her holding hands with a boy. “Who was that?” Susan asks her daughter as she gets into the car. “Oh, that’s my boyfriend, Robert” her daughter replies. “Your boyfriend!” Susan responds. “Yeah mom, we’ve been dating for three days now and I think we’re in love. We might even get married someday”. Susan is shocked by this news. How could her seven-year-old daughter (who thought boys had cooties last week) be in love with a boy and holding hands? “I hope this doesn’t get too serious,” Susan... (Read More ...)

Come on, admit it. You intended to keep a schedule this summer, but when the kids slept in you liked the extra quiet time. Then the daylight lasted so long it was often later than you realized when the kids finally hit the sack. Not living by the clock was a refreshing change of pace, but school will be starting in a few weeks and you know the kids and you need to get back into the groove. First, let me assure you, it’s healthier to have a flexible schedule than a rigid one. So have no guilt about your summer schedule. Just realize that the school schedule is a big change and you may need... (Read More ...)

The new world of school brings many changes. Even for children who have been in child care or preschool, starting kindergarten will be a new world that is quite different from what they’ve experienced. The school’s rules might be different from your rules, so children must learn flexibility. Children need to sit still for longer periods of time than they are used to, so they must have self-control and self-discipline. Teachers might have a different teaching and communication style than their parents, so children must learn effective listening and communication skills. Since children... (Read More ...)

Stacey and her family cram their van with suitcases, snacks, and sunscreen, as they get ready for their anticipated vacation to Disney World. Ten minutes down the street Stacey hears the inevitable “I’m bored” from her four-year-old son. Stacey realizes this is going to be a long ten hour drive for her and her family. She tells her son to color or play a video because it’s going to be a long car ride. Her son whines and pulls out his GameBoy. Fifteen minutes later Stacey hears the whining again and her son, yet again, blurts out “I’m bored!” Stacey hands him his coloring book and... (Read More ...)

Kari pulls into the fast food restaurant’s drive-thru for the third time this week to get her and her three children dinner before she drives her youngest to baseball practice. She almost never has time to cook and meal for her family, anymore, between soccer and baseball practice for her two sons and dance and gymnastics for daughter. Kari works forty to fifty hours a week, plus her children have a hectic schedule. All three of her children love participating in all the activities they are doing, even if they are exhausted and stressed from their schedule. Kari doesn’t want to pull them out... (Read More ...)

Pleading with her seven year old son, Ann feels discouraged when begging him to eat just one more bite of carrots. Instead, her son just continues to play with his food and stare at it. She can’t begin to count the plates of food that have gone to waste because her son does not finish everything on his plate. No matter what she fixes she cannot get her son to eat all the food on his plate. Ann is so frustrated and tired of having an argument with her son over dinner about him not finishing all his food. Ann is desperate and wonders “How can I get my son to eat all his food?” Do you have children... (Read More ...)

Julie opens the freezer to fix dinner and is bombarded with a mountain of chicken nuggets, her son’s favorite. “Can we have chicken nuggets, again?” asks her six year old son from across the house. Sighing, Julie responds, “Yes” and reluctantly pulls out the box of chicken nuggets. Julie knows it’s not healthy for her son to eat chicken nuggets every night, but she knows of the tantrum she is avoiding by preparing this favorite food of her son’s. She wonders, “How do I get my children to try different foods?”  Would you like to transform your picky eaters between 5 and 13 into... (Read More ...)

  The screams coming from her six month old daughter’s crib launches Jill to her feet and into the bedroom. Jill witnesses her six year old son yanking on his little sister’s hair through the crib. Instantly, Jill pulls the two apart and drags her son to the hallway. After asking her son his reasoning, he simply replies, “Because I felt like it.” Jill has been dealing with behavior like this for the past year and can’t figure out why. After disciplining her son time and time again, Jill wonders if there might be a reason for the behavior and a solution she hasn’t thought of before.   Do... (Read More ...)