Am I the only one here who actually wants to be a child psychologist, and posting a comment? I'm 11, and to the people who are having problems with their 11-year-old children, it's difficult.

Some behaviour is just puberty but sometimes I can't control myself. I have problems, and that's why I want to help other children when I'm older so they don't have to suffer as much as I do. Because I don't get help, and it's hard to control.

The best thing, is to ask your children. I'm dying to tell my mum, but I just wished she asked and understood.

I have a four year old boy who is very destructive by nature. He will buy new toys every day and will break them immediately. Keeps on colouring the TVs and walls. he loves beating children and fighting with them. Also he has a problem with stammering. are these things interrelated, and how can i stop him from being destructive? can anybody help?

I know a child psychologists who is busy with two families and they are not supposed to be that way at all. she made friends with one of the families and that's not fair.

i am the mother of a 3 year old daughter and i need to talk to psychologist about her. Marissa met her friends who have autism by giving gifts and letters but my mother was confusing me about meeting through me or giving gifts and letters. and i'll talk to the psychologist for Marissa.

my son hates to go to school. he feels nauseated. he is nine years old. what to do?

is the movie "17 again" appropriate for girls 6 and 10 years old?

love this article! I wonder if I can be of any help-offer suggestions etc-- I am a Parent Coach Super Nanny)I had some different opinions on some of these remarks.

anon 15437- I have answers for you! but what are the 3 things he does? NannyBarb

I am the father of my 3 year old daughter. My daughter lives with my ex wife, who has serious mental issues stemming from a lifetime of anorexia. I have concerns that my daughter is being physically, mentally and sexually abused by the ex's partner, 15 year old daughter & 14 year old son (different father). Department of child safety and the Police has investigated very poorly and say that they do not have enought proof to act.

Will a Child Psychologist be able to do an assessment and be able to find out if there is abuse?

i have a 5yr old girl who will not go with any 1 only me. she won't go see her dad as she screams and cries for me. my sister took her in her car yesterday because i was going out and she even tried to open the car door and jump out while the car was moving. what kind of help, if any, is there i could get for myself and my daughter? thanx

What professional can I consult about cousins under 10 years of age involved in behavior of a sexual nature, such as kissing and showing of their private parts?

I am the parent of a 11 year old girl. She seems to take whirlwind fancies on a lot of things, makes me spend a lot of money on these and loses interest equally quickly. I am unable to make her sit and concentrate on anything consistently. When in a good mood she says a lot of sweet things, commits to work, is consistent on studies and table tennis or any other interest she wants to pursue. But the next day when requested she becomes irate. She is also having snappy mood swings. Please advise how to tackle these mood swings and her ways.

i am a mother of an 11 year old girl who is very much troubled with the attitude she is showing me with regards to her studies. i decided to quit my job as a teacher to focus on her, but unfortunately, i failed and still failing on how i would motivate her. since preschool she has shown laziness towards her studies, but as far as extra-curricular activities like dancing and other stuff, you could see how lively she is and how much she is enjoying.

she has the attitude of hiding her failing grades in her tests or exams from us with the reason that we will get mad at her, this attitude has been going on for years now and i cant find the reason why she is doing this. she is so lazy to study though the support and motivation from the family is unquestionable. we even hired a private tutor to help and guide her but still, we are failing.

i am in the process of seeking the advise of a child psychologist for that matter. please help us, i am craving advice. thanks in advance. god bless you all..

marathonrunner here again...i hate to say it, but you may have to start taking away reading privileges. i was an avid reader as a child, and my parents would not let me do any leisure reading until i finished my chores and homework. while reading should be a top priority, he needs to understand that he has to fulfill his "responsibilities" too.

as for the night time wakings, i would try getting him to sleep a little earlier, and every time he wakes up, walk him back to his room. don't say a word, just escort him back and return to your room.

i wish i could offer more advice! being a parent is so hard sometimes, isn't it?! all you want is to do the best by your children, but we don't always know how to do it. i would definitely consult your pediatrician on your options for your son. he may need some extra help, or you may get some ideas about how to deal with his problems. good luck, it sounds like you are on the right track!

I thank marathonrunner for giving such a prompt reply. The thing is that we have already removed the TV from the equation by not having one in our house anymore. In order to make him respond to our requests we have hidden his Nintendo for up to 3 straight weeks, with no results. He starts reading books and that is one thing I dont want to take away. It seems that he just dosent care for anything at all.

We tell him do his home work and then you can play your nintendo, and all he says is he doesnt want play with it in that case.

Sleep could be an issue as he does get up a number of times at night and is quite restless at night. Also refuses to sleep in his own bed and wants to sleep with us.

Any suggestions on how to get him to sleep in his own bed and through the night?? JB

anon15437: my sympathies go out to you. as a mom of 3, i understand that it can be difficult to get your kids to listen to you! i've found that once you figure out what your child values, you can use them as "bargaining chips" to help them learn that when they are disobedient, they'll lose these priviledges. you said that he loves to read, play nintendo, and watch tv. while i would NEVER take away books, i would immediately take away his nintendo and tv until he can start doing the things that are expected of him.

unless he does have some psychological issues that need to be addressed by a child psychologist, this should start netting results quickly. my 5 year old son knows that he can't even touch his nintendo until he's eaten breakfast and gotten himself dressed. my 3 year old daughter loves to wear dresses. we've had some difficulties with potty training, and i've found that if i take the dresses away, she does a ton better. children are so incentive and reward driven that they usually respond when this system is put in place.

find ways to make his usual routine fun, or different. some parents have found that checklists which outline each individual step of the routine (eg, pick out clothes, get dressed, put pajamas in dirty laundry, eat breakfast, brush teeth, etc.) with pictures or photos allows children to more easily "digest" each step, and aren't overwhelmed with the morning routine as a whole.

one other suggestion if have is to make sure he's getting enough sleep, or consider moving his bedtime to an earlier time. i've heard that helps with a whole plethora of behavioral issues in children. i hope these suggestions can be of help to you! good luck!

I have an 8 year old boy, who refuses to do anything on his own, which includes almost everything he has to do in a day. This has ended up getting us very frustrated with him. Our whole day is a big chore in waking him up, sending him to school, doing homework, dinner, bath. Just about everything is a big task with him as he will not do it himself or even after being told 50 times.

He is a very bright child who loves to read, watch TV and play on his Nintendo. These are the only 3 things that he will do without being asked to do.

How can we solve this behaviour issue. Who do we take him to ? Does he need medical attention or counselling.....I need some help here. JB

Would you suggest child psychology for a person who is really good with children and likes to help children out?

Yes, I think it is much more difficult to deal with your own child. As a psychologist or a teacher, you are less emotionally involved in the outcome. That doesn't mean a psychologist or teacher isn't fond of their patients/students, but it does mean that ultimately the well-being of that child rests pretty solely on the parents or caregivers.

Example: I'm a good teacher, and work extremely well with kids with learning disabilities. Enter my own children, one of whom has several learning disabilities. It is much, much harder for me to teach my own son than it was to teach others. I even tried homeschooling for a year when I was living in a school district that wasn't supporting my son's disabilities in a manner I felt appropriate. It was a daily struggle, so challenging, and we both ended up hating the situation. He and I were both glad when the year was up and he returned to school in a more supportive school district.

There's an old saying that "doctor's wives die and shoemaker's children go barefoot." I think it's an exaggeration, but I do think that even if you do something professionally, it doesn't necessarily make you good at doing it on the homefront. And kids are wonderful, joyous and tough people to raise, no matter what your expertise and no matter how many degrees you hold.

I have known a lot of child psychologists - even very good ones - who had significant problems with their own children. Is it a lot harder to deal with your own child than with somebody else's?