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How to make sure that your teen will not ruin the holiday. 

Mom expected that her son would happily participate in every seasonal event. The problem was that the son, typical for his age, preferred spending his free time with friends. And like most teens, he was already frustrated about the lack of control over his life. The extra rules, traditions, and visits with relatives only added to his tension. Tips on how a parent can change their approach and even compromise to break the impasse of constant fighting over the holidays. 

What to do if your daughter is cutting herself. 

Dr. Ron provided tips how to help a child that is engaging in forms of self-injury such as self-burning, head-banging, biting, skin-picking, or hair-pulling. 

Does you child have ADHD or is your child bored at school? 

Dr. Ron provided tips for parents how to differentiate ADD or ADHD from a learning disability or from plain old boredom. Brandon is a very intelligent child who simply wasn't receiving enough academic stimulation. And his parents unknowingly made things worse by getting involved in a power struggle with him over grades and homework. 

Teen is tired all the time, not sleeping well and doing poorly in school. 

Son is making negative comments about himself. 

Dr. Ron provided tips how to replace his despair with pride, triumph, and self-respect by strengthening body image with physical activity and good nutrition.  

Kids always fight with one another. 

Dr. Ron provided tips on how to teach kids conflict-resolution skills by setting ground rules, avoiding getting involved in every altercation and how to reinforce cooperative behavior with praise, a smile, or a hug. 

Child is experiencing social isolation and separation anxiety. 

Tips for a mother who herself had undiagnosed anxiety disorder, to help mom allow her son to experience being away from her in small, safe doses.  Dr. Ron reviewed progressive relaxation techniques, overnight trip and how to self sooth. 

Mom is distraught that her daughter being pressured to have sex. 

Discussion included how a parent had an obligation to snoop if they suspected their child is in harm’s way. Tips on how to handle a child’s depression and stress associated with developing their own sense of self and trying to figure out how to do the right thing. 

What to do when you discover your son is smoking pot with his friend. 

Tips on how parents can state the clear position that drug use is unacceptable and that there will be swift consequences. Contact the other child's parents to tell them what happened and to advise them that the two boys aren't allowed to hang out together unless a parent is present in the room at all times. 

A child often lies all the time because it is easier to twist facts or deny reality than to face conflict or punishment.

Tips to help parents avoid responding with anger, repeated empty threats and resist knee-jerk reactions that often scare kids into lying more.  Spell out clear rules and enforce them consistently.  

Do you know why you shoulde never call a child "a liar"?  Read the article to find out. 

A child is constantly arguing with parents- it's inevitable for tweens and teens to test boundaries -- that's how they gain their independence. 

Tips to help parents respond in such a way that their child learns to stop being manipulative and communicate their needs appropriately while accepting limitations.  Dr. Ron discussed how to be more selective about laying down the law by reserving “no” for rare and serious occasions, and heading off confrontation by using "yes" much more often. 

A mother worried about her overweight daughter. 

Dr. Ron provides tips on how to inspire a child to lose weight by dealing with the biggest stumbling block- the desire for instant gratification.  How to jump start motivation to lose weight with immediate results and provide support of the entire household. 

A teen suffering from Gaming Addiction. 

Starting high school is tense for most teens but especially when a child moves and leaves behind their old friends and life.  Many kids as a result suffer from school anxiety. Dr. Ron provides tips on developing effective coping skills including relaxation techniques to give a child a sense of control over their body, relieve academic pressures by temporarily lowering expectations and creating a backup plan if a child were to have a severe anxiety attack in school. 

A boy suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) that is frustrating everyone. 

Dr. Ron Zodkevitch discussed the importance of integrating a behavioral program to medication management.  Medication can help kids with ADD, but it has to be coupled with a very structured environment that is based on the child's interests- not what the parents think he should care about. 

Dr. Ron provided several tips including setting up a work space in a small room with no distractions; buying educational computer games to replace the violent ones that over stimulate and waste valuable time without offering any sense of satisfaction or accomplishment; how to request that the school develop an Individualized Educational Plan and the benefits of registering your child in tae kwon do classes to burn off extra energy, gain strength, and reinforce perseverance and self-control. 

Dr. Ron answers several questions including how to manage a 16-year-old who felt pressured to have a glass of wine with dinner at her friend's house, how to discipline a son who had a fender bender, and “Should I expect a 10- and 12-year-old to be grateful?” 

The answer to the last question is “Yes, you should.” 

Dr. Ron helps parents manage a daughter who stole money out of a mother’s purse. 

Dr. Ron helps parents understand that while the betrayal of trust is important, what matters most is uncovering the motivation for stealing. Is a child buying clothes and makeup or drugs and alcohol? 

Dr. Ron helps a mother and her daughter properly channel their fears and anxieties regarding a son and a brother who is deployed overseas in the military. 

Dr. Ron helps a family recognize that for some young people a gap year between high school and college can be extremely positive.  The key is putting the gap year time into purposeful productive use such as working full time to save money for college expenses or taking an internship to help them decide what they want to study. 

Dr. Ron also helps parents differentiate between a crush and real love and provides tips on how to encourage tweens and teens to visit their grandmother who now lives in a nursing home.  

In this column Dr. Ron provides safety tips for a teen who wants to start babysitting; advice for parents regarding excessive blinking and squinting and transient tic disorder, and answers a concerned mother who asked, “Should I worry about my 10-year-old daughter not being “girlie” enough?”

Dr. Ron Zodkevitch helps parents discern if they should be concerned that their 14-year-old son has decorated his room with sexually suggestive posters, and a 9 year old distraught over her parents possible divorce.  Dr. Ron also guides parents about how to avoid raising a selfish son who never buys his mom a gift.

In this issue Doctor Ron assists parents whose son is 12 and small for his age and is being bullied by a girl in his grade. 

Dr. Ron also advises a parent of an overweight teenager how to ditch the bathroom scale and shift the focus away from pounds and toward healthier lifestyle changes. 

Dr. Ron helps parents understand that many kids overeat to escape stress and fatigue. 

Dr. Ron promotes proper sleep by limiting TV and increasing physical activity level by making exercise such as bike riding, hiking, jumping rope, or dancing a part of a family's daily life. 

Lastly Dr. Ron advises parents on how to motivate a 16 year old teen get a summer job. 

Dr. Ron advises parents that everyone needs privacy, but a lock on your child's door is a bad idea because you need immediate access in case of a fire or a medical emergency.

Dr. Ron also helps parents learn how to eliminate sloppy homework and how to encourage a teen to dress appropriately and respectfully for family functions. 

Dr. Ron Zodkevitch provides the prescription for parents whose children are suffering from the horrible “gimme” disease that is afflicting many people in our materialistic, consumer-driven world.

In this issue of Family Circle, Dr. Ron provides some tips on how to ensure privacy and a sense of sanctuary for parents whose teenage daughters have to double up in one room.  

Dr. Ron also discusses how it’s quite natural for a child not to want to share all their private thoughts with a parent.  Many teens ask a therapist to guide them through their “individuation phase” as they learn to separate themselves from their parents, and develop a private emotional life.

In this issue of Family Circle, Dr. Ron offers parents a cure for the daughter who suffers from horrible case of “senioritis” and for a son that mumbles all the time.

Dr. Ron advises a recently divorced mom on how to sooth young teens who are still upset about the breakup without giving them false hope about a reunion.  Dr. Ron also provides divorced parents with tips on how to develop amicable together time and jointly set and enforce rules so the children will have more consistency.  When ex’s act as a team, kids will feel less confused as they shuffle back and forth between two households.