Mom's The Word: What To Expect From Him

Famous self-help book What To Expect When You're Expecting has sold more than 35 million copies worldwide, and while the pregnancy guide focuses on moms, a new movie of the same title gives a humorous look at the dad's often overlooked perspective to the new journey.

Body Image

Your image of yourself plays a role in how you feel and interact with other people.  Children as young as two years old are conscious of how they look to others.  Even in nursery school children compare appearances. 

Extended Breastfeeding Controversy Continues

A local mother from New Jersey who has two children spoke to us about her two very different experiences with her children -- the older child breast fed until he was 3 years old, and the other stopped breast feeding when he was 5 months old.

Mom's The Word: Teaching What 'I'm Sorry' Means

Whether it's grabbing another kid's toy or pushing them on the playground...as parents, we're constantly telling our little ones to say "I'm sorry." But, in doing so, are we actually teaching them a lesson?

Mom's the Word: Playdate Waivers

We'll sound off on this idea of parents asking other parents to sign a liability waiver before a playdate or birthday party. A recent Washington Post reader asked Miss Manners her take on it, after signing a parental waiver before her son went to a classmates house.

Mom's the Word: Video Game Addiction

There's a good chance your child may be suffering from an addiction. An Iowa State University study found one in ten kids are addicted to video games.

Mom's The Word: Single Parents

Actress Diane Keaton recently revealed, in an interview with AARP, she wished she hadn't been a single mother saying, "As a parent I provide all I can, but I think in the best possible scenario you need to have a man."

Mom's The Word: Staying Together 'For The Kids'

Tashera Simmons sticks aroind to join in on the discussion with Dr. Balter about how couples decisions to stay together in a bad marriage affects the kids. Tashera and DMX, who shared four children, have been separated spoke about the effect on her kids.

When And How To Talk To Kids About Race

Racism. It's what lies at the heart of the Trayvon Martin uproar across the country.

Mom's The Word: Dealing With Defiant Children

I would like to put a positive spin on this by saying we should be encouraging compliance rather than saying we are dealing with defiance.

Mom's The Word: Summer Camp

An estimated 10 million children attend summer camp each year in the United States. How can you choose the right one for your kid?

Mom's The Word: Nurturing Shy Kids

Reserved, bashful, timid. How can you help nurture your shy child? Dr. Lawrence Balter was here to weigh in about what "causes" a child to be shy and how you can best parent a shy kid.

Mom's the Word: Parent/Teacher Conferences

Meeting with your child’s teacher can be a nerve-wracking experience.  Stepping into a classroom tends to bring back memories of your school days  Public schools in the tri-state area conduct parent-teacher conferences several times each school year for elementary, middle, and high schools.  Since the schedules are so packed, often you can’t get more than 15 minutes with...

Viewer Q & A With Dr. Balter

1. "Hi, I'm hoping that Dr. Balter can address this topic, relating to children and stealing. Recently, I discovered that my nine year-old son had stolen what must have been two handfuls of bubble gum from a local pharmacy. Does he have suggestions about how to handle incidents like these? Thanks, Anonymous" 2. "Hi Dr. Balter, I am a mother of a 15-year-old son who insists he wants a lip ring....

Mom's The Word: Mompetition

Mompetition!  It’s not a typo.  It is a cute neologism that pertains to a not-so-cute interaction among some parents.  The term Mompetition refers to the competition that moms (and dads) get into with one another about their offspring.

Mom's The Word: Gender Identity

We discussed the report that says an increasing number of teenagers and younger children are seeking sex-change treatments.

Dating Advice For The Single Parent

To the singles parents who enjoyed a Valentine's Day with their new love interest: how do you feel about introducting him or her to your kids? Dr. Balter and founder of SingleEdition.com Sherry Langburt spoke with Sukanya about how single parents can navigate through this dificult situation.

Parenting 101: Discipline

Setting limits for oneself or for someone else is not a simple matter.  A big challenge for parents is to set appropriate limits for a child while preserving the child’s self-esteem and confidence.  Experts believe that children need to learn to follow directions and conform to expectations in order to be able to persist in the face of frustration, to cope with unpleasant...

Mom's The Word: The Mom Secret

You've got the husband, the kids, the job...everything you've ever wanted! so, why aren't you happy?

Mom's The Word: Dealing With Divorce and Kids

Heidi Klum and Seal are the latest Hollywood couple to call it quits. They stars have four kids.

How To Raise A Smart Kid

Most parents would admit to wanting to raise a smart child.  We all want our kids to be successful in school and in their adult lives, and being smart is an asset.  One big problem is defining what we mean by the term “smart.”  Normally, people equate smartness with scores on tests.  In fact, it is a good metric to use, but it is not foolproof nor is it the only...

Mom's The Word: Holiday High And New Year's Resolutions

Once the holidays are behind us, it can take some time to get back into the regular swing of things.  Re-entry is not always as seamless as we would like.  This is true for our kids, as well.  It is not uncommon for them to feel out of sorts, be irritable, and complain about being bored. 

Dealing With Death

On Christmas Day, a fire took the lives of three sisters.  Twins aged seven and their older sister aged ten died in their Connecticut home.  Their mother escaped, but their grandparents also perished in the inferno.  The natural order is upset in a tragedy such as this.  Children are not expected to predecease their parents. 

Keeping New Year's Resolutions

With the New Year comes a host of resolutions.  It is not surprising because the New Year is a natural time to begin new things.  If you need a launching off point, what could be handier?  Of course, you can start many things almost any time.  It can be on the first day of the week, the first day of the month, or on your birthday.  People seem to like demarcations to get a...

Holiday Gift Giving During Financially Stressful Times

I call it the “Gimmes!”  With all the giving and getting during the holidays many kids build up expectations and their wish-lists can be pretty long.  Many parents are feeling the pinch of an economic recession and thinking twice about their budgets this time of year.  As a result many parents will have to say no to their kids more than they'd like to.  While it...

Mom's The Word: Parents Breaking Up

This week's Mom's The Word was on how to break it to your kids that you and your significant other are breaking up.

Interfaith Child Rearing

Whenever a holiday season rolls around questions about religious beliefs and rituals come to the forefront.  For partners of different faiths this can be a source of tension.  When there are children involved, it is essential to be in accordance with one another to avoid conflict and confusion. 

Older Parents

Mother Nature and motherhood are not always in sync.  Medical specialists say that the earlier you have a baby (early twenties) the better for both you and the neonate.  At the same time, many women are postponing motherhood until well into their thirties and even forties.  There are many health risks and complications that are associated with giving birth later in life, yet...

Granny As Nanny

About one in ten kids in the US live with at least one grandparent according to the Pew Research Center.  There are several million children whose primary caretaker is a grandparent.  Then, there are countless numbers of children who are cared for by grandparents on an informal basis.  With so many parents in the workforce and the expense of daycare or private care prohibitive for...

Mom's The Word: Sexual Predators and Sports

First it was Penn State football. now it's Syracuse basketball. Stories of alleged sexual abuse on young boys by coaches continue to make headlines. So, how can we prevent it from happening to our kids lured in by the sports or activities they love?

Finding Happiness: 15 Life Lessons Learned From A Nervous Breakdown

You're living a "successful" modern life, which means that you spend most of your time at work. You haven't been home in time to tuck your kids into bed all week, and you can't remember the last time you and your spouse had a date night.

Mom's The Word: Dealing With Holiday Stress

There are many joys associated with the holiday season.  The upside is getting to spend time with friends and family, enjoying good food and cheer, and having some time off from work.  At the same time, there are numerous sources of stress that can put a damper on things.  If you find yourself fretting about the preparations, becoming short-tempered, and feeling underappreciated and...

Dr. Balter Explains The Winter Blues

You may have noticed the days are getting shorter.  You may also have noticed that you are feeling sluggish and grouchy.  It may not be a coincidence.   Around this time of year when the days are shorter, many people find themselves suffering from the blahs.  A lack of daylight is associated with a condition known as

Mom's the Word: Working Moms vs Stay-At-Home Moms

We'll talk about how can women find the balance, the conflicts they feel, how working moms versus stay-at-home moms are perceived. We were joined by Dr. Lawrence Balter and Jennifer Owens, editor of Working Mother magazine.

Mom's the Word: Single Parents Dating

Dating can be nerve wracking. Dating as a single parent can be downright terrifying! Will you find someone that fits your family? When should you introduce your kids to your new partner? Should you tell your ex you're back in the game?

Mom's The Word: Outsourcing Social Skills

Would you pay someone else to teach your kids fundamental social skills, like saying "please" and "thank you"?

Fighting With Kids Over What To Wear

Everyone has a sense of fashion; even small children.  We may not agree with their tastes, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, isn’t it?  So, what should you do when your preschooler decides to go to nursery school attired in a green checked top, blue plaid pants, and black rubber boots? 

Helping Children Deal With Tragedy: Murder-Suicide

In Cross River, N.Y., a man bludgeoned his wife to death, then shot and killed his two school-age children, and finally turned the gun on himself.  Apparently, the couple was in the throes of a divorce.  Domestic murder-suicide is rare, but when it occurs it shocks a community to its core.

Mom's The Word: Playing Favorites and The Selfish Gene

Dr. Lawrence Balter stopped by to talk about parents playing favorites and if there really is a selfish gene.

Picky Eaters

All parents want their kids to eat healthy foods and approach their meals with gusto and joy.  At the same time, however, parents are up against the advertising agencies and food purveyors who often proffer less than wholesome items to kids.  A recent study showed that while kids’ food preferences are unmistakably influenced by commercials, parents can lessen the impact these sales...

Mom's The Word: Underage Drinking

Some parents believe that allowing an underage child to drink alcoholic beverages under their supervision is desirable because it will lessen the child’s curiosity and temptation to do it outside the home.  While, intuitively, this might appear to be a good idea, it is probably not the case.

Mom's the Word: Protecting Your Kids From Sexual Predators

A sexual predator is a person who forces unwanted sexual advances on others.  Rape is an extreme form, but touching and groping are also offenses.  These behaviors constitute a violation of another person.  Although the legal definition varies from state there is general and common agreement that the term can be applied to anyone who commits a sexual offense against a minor. 

Mom's the Word: How Far is Too Far?

Toddlers & Tiaras is a reality show on cable television that reveals the inner workings of the child beauty pageant industry and the families and children who participate in these contests.  There is an odd disconnect between what the parents of these small children say and what they do.  For example, to dress a 3-year-old girl in a blond wig, revealing...

Mom's The Word: Talking To Kids About 9/11 Attacks

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Many of us remember the event with excruciating clarity. Some of us witnessed the constant replaying of the tapes showing the buildings coming down, the people running through the streets, the ensuing destruction and debris. There are those of us who saw it in real time in real life. I was one of those.

Mom's The Word: Helping Kids Deal with Natural Disasters

When Mother Nature runs amok, it can be terribly stressful for children. Hurricanes and tornadoes are rare in the Northeast and therefore more difficult to take in stride. High winds whipping everything in sight and water flooding into their homes can make it seem to a child that the world is out of control. Parents can play a crucial role in helping kids deal with these threatening...

Mom's The Word: Sending Your Kids To College

A child's leaving for college is a major adjustment for both parent and child. After being a parent for 17 or 18 years, the departure of your child can be a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you are relieved of the day to day parental responsibilities. On the other, a significant part of your usual role has been attenuated. This requires a serious adaptation.

Mom's The Word: Temper Tantrums

The terms “temper tantrum” and “toddlers” go hand-in-hand.  Small children are easily frustrated.  They often want things that they can’t have or might be dangerous. 

Moms the Word: Changing Role of Fathers

Lance Somerfeld, founder of NYC Dads Group, was in the studio with Dr. Lawrence Balter to discuss the changing role of fathers, the challenges dads as primary caregivers face and what can be done to help them.

Mom's The Word: Joint Custody With A Jerk

Co-parenting is hard enough, but it's even tougher during a divorce, especially when dealing with a difficult ex. in the new edition of their book " Joint Custody With A Jerk," authors Julie A. Ross and Judy Corcoran offer advice on how to navigate through this difficult situation. They will be here along with Dr. Lawrence Balter.

Mom's The Word: Parenting Styles: Mom vs. Dad

What do you do when you and your husband or wife don't agree on things when it comes to the kids? We talked about it in Mom's the Word with Dr. Lawrence Balter and Darleen and Gregory Jobson-Larkin from Richmond Hill who have four kids of their own (ages 8, 6, 4 and 10 months).

Mom's the Word: How To Get Kids To Do Chores

We received an email PIX11 viewer Emily Rose from Clifton, New Jersey saying: "Help! I really need help getting my children's help around the house--the usual "doing chores." I've asked, coaxed, threatened, paid, denied, etc. Really need guidance. Thanks, Emily Rose."

Mom's the Word: Kids and Cursing

Kids use swear words! What else is new? So, how harmful is profanity?

Mom's The Word: Kids' Homesickness When At Summer Camp

Millions of American children attend summer camp each year and there are some wonderful opportunities afforded by the experience.  Summer camp offers kids an opportunity to meet new people, develop skills, and to become a bit more independent.  Many children make life-long friends at camp.  

Mom's The Word: Kids' Sexuality, Kids Having Sex At Home

In the aftermath of the “marriage-equality” bill being passed in New York State, the topic of children’s sexual orientation arose during a Mom’s the Word segment.  

Mom's The Word: Discipline

If someone else’s child is acting up would you discipline her?  Should you?  We put our heads together to grapple with this potentially sticky situation on a recent segment of “Mom’s the Word.”

Mom's the Word: Raising a Boy vs. Raising a Girl

In honor of Father's day, Mom's The Word is being lead by proud papa John Muller. The topic is raising a boy vs. raising a girl. Should we parent our children differently, according to their gender?

Did You Marry the Wrong Person?

Do you think you married the wrong person? Well you're not alone.

Anthony Weiner And Cyber Affairs

The media is abuzz with the latest revelation of a politician who has engaged in sexual chicanery.  Anthony Weiner admitted to having several online relationships over the past several years including this past year when he was married.

Sibling Rivalry

Is sibling rivalry inevitable?  My response:  If you have a sibling, sibling rivalry can’t be far behind.  We discussed sibling rivalry on a segment of “Mom’ the Word” and the question of whether kids ever outgrow their competitive rivalry came up.  Sibling rivalry lessens as one grows older (and wiser), but never really seems to go away entirely. ...

Mom's the Word: Lying

What do you do if you catch your kid in a lie? We'll talk about it in Mom's the Word.

Kids On Leashes

You might consider this to be an odd question:  Should parents walk their children on leashes?

Kids And Social Media

On a recent “Mom’s the Word” segment, we talked about tweens using social media such as Facebook.  Kids as young as 10 years of age are uploading photos of themselves and their friends as well as information about their favorite music, sports teams and other self-revelations.  Despite the fact that Facebook says a member must be at least 13 years old, younger kids...

To Spank Or Not To Spank?

Just about every situation falls under the category of discipline: getting up on time, brushing your teeth, dressing, getting to school on time, doing homework, practicing an instrument, whatever.  There is a huge range of opinions among parents on how to discipline children.

Empathy

The other day a mother pulled up to a bench in the park with her 8-month old son in a carriage. She sat down and angled him so he was close and facing her.   She took some wipes from her bag and gently cleaned his face, hands, feet and toes.  The day was warm and he was barefoot.  She talked her way through the whole process.  She said things such as, “Let’s...