John Rosemond

Q: I went into my 17-year-old’s bedroom to wake him this morning. After some urging, he eventually got up and then told me he hated me. What is the appropriate consequence for this sort of disrespect?

When I was a child, back in the Parenting Stone Age (aka the Parentocentric Era), your parents were the most important people in the family.

Q: Is it OK to start teaching our 1-year-old how to play independently? He screams and cries when I put him in any type of enclosure if he can’t get “free” (even when I arrange the furniture in a way that he has a very ample play area). Is there a method to teach him how to play by himself for at least a little bit? It seems I am following him around the house all day so he can’t get into trouble, or hurt himself or damage furniture. etc. We have our house “baby-proofed,” but he is very creative with the things he likes to get into.

Q: It seems our 1-year-old is showing willful disobedience. We tell him “no” and try to redirect but he does the same things over and over. The things in question include turning over and not being cooperative when I’m trying to change him, slapping us in the face and standing up during bath time. I’m trying to be creative with ways to entertain him and make things fun but am getting weary. Any advice on how we can correct him?

Q: Our 7-year-old son is very negative about everything. He’s a middle child, so that may have something to do with it, but everyone else in the family is happy, positive, optimistic. He never has anything positive to say about anything. Things the rest of us enjoy he says are “stupid” or “dumb.” We are starting to not want him around us, which is causing us guilt. He’s also often this way around his friends and other people. We’ve tried talking, but that’s gotten us nowhere. We hesitate to punish for fear he can’t help it. Any ideas?

One of the reasons that parents fail at solving discipline problems is they try to solve too many at once.

Q: We have two boys, 8 and 7. They are completely out of control. They constantly argue, fight and tattle. If they’re not fighting, they’re playing chaotically. Homework is a constant battle, and getting them to bed takes over an hour. They ignore us when we give them instructions, and one boy’s disobedience seems to make the other worse. We can’t go out in public or have people over because their behavior is at its worst when other people are around. HELP!

When are parents – mothers, especially – going to get it? When are they going to wake up to the fact that the professional psycho-babblers have done nothing but damage?

While working in my secret parenting laboratory, hidden deep beneath the earth’s surface and accessible only by me and a small, select team of associates, I recently made what I believe is a huge and history-making breakthrough that promises to greatly improve parenting the world over.

Q: In our city, most of the high school seniors participate in “Senior Beach Week” during spring break. They rent beach houses and condos and party like there’s no tomorrow. Alcohol, marijuana and sex abound. Our friends justify allowing their kids to go by saying they have to be trusted sometime. Our nephew’s parents, however, refuse to let him go. They say it’s irresponsible even if the child in question has been trustworthy. We are wavering on letting our 17-year-old son attend. He assures us he won’t get into trouble. What are your thoughts?