The Top 50 Questions Kids Ask

by Bartell, Susan S.

• ISBN13: 9781402219160
• ISBN10: 1402219164
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-03-01
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Inc

Summary

"Why can't I stay home alone?" "Can I get a cell phone?" "Who will take care of me if you die?" If you're the parent of a seven- to eleven-year-old, there's no doubt you've heard them already-and there are countless more to come. Questions! They come in all types: curious, nagging, touching, annoying, and downright weird. What they all have in common is that parents are often at a total loss for how to answer them. Inside you'll find the concrete responses that will make sense to kids, stop the nagging, reduce your frustration, and begin healthy new conversations that will enrich your child's view of the world. You'll learn to talk confidently with your child about the toughest of topics, with advice and support from expert family psychologist Dr. Susan Bartell. Responding to your child's questions can be a remarkable parenting opportunity-if you just know the right words to say. "Finally, a book that answers all those questions we parents go in a cold sweat about! Dr. Susan tackles the tough ones such as money, shyness, siblings, and religion. Plus, we get the psychology behind it all to better understand our kids. You'll find yourself using this book every day." -Pam Atherton, journalist and host of A Closer Look radio talk show

Excerpts

<p>As your child's language grows more proficient, her ability to ask all types of questions greatly improves. However, along with this, her aptitude for nagging becomes more sophisticated as well-lucky you! The late elementary grades often represent the peak of the "nagging" years, because as your child becomes more involved in her social life, the influence of peers sways her to nag you for privileges and material items that prior to now she might not even have known existed.</p><p>An older child may also nag when she's angry with you. She knows that yelling at a parent is not socially appropriate and that you probably (hopefully) would not tolerate it. But at this age, she realizes that nagging will also push your buttons and drive you crazy (perhaps even more so!), just in a slightly less egregious manner. Last, and perhaps most important, you child recognizes that nagging will often get her exactly what she wants-as long as she is persistent.</p><p>Now that you understand a little bit about how nagging works, let's take a look at the most frequently "nagged" questions, uncover their real meaning, and learn the very best responses to them. By the end of this chapter, you'll be an expert on nagging and how to get your child to do it less often-I promise.</p>