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frances walfish

Question of the Day: Instant Gratification

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Do you ever have one of those episodes with your children where you wonder, “When is he going to stop doing this?” Your child does something weird, aggravating, or just won’t grow out of a phase? Wish you had someone there to give you the help and advice you’re seeking? Well, your in luck. Breezy Mama is very excited to introduce our Question of the Day piece. A simple (ha!) parenting question with the answer you need. Even more exciting is who will be doing the answering. . . Dr. Fran Walfish, who is an Expert in Parents Magazine’s “Ask Our Experts” column, has agreed to become our “Question of the Day” expert! So send us your questions (alex@breezymama.com) and Dr. Walfish will answer it in a future Breezy post. Now on to today’s question. . .

When do children understand that [Read more…] about Question of the Day: Instant Gratification

Stop the Back Talk and Keep Your Patience

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Ahhh, seven-year olds. They’re getting older and wiser, but with this independence can come back talk, disrespect and ungratefulness. I don’t know a more frustrating behavior, and teaching how to NOT be like that seems close to impossible. Breezy Mama turned to Child and Family Psychotherapist, Dr. Fran Walfish, Psy.D. for help.

I’ve heard that 7-year-olds tend to be “too cool.” Stories of children talking back, rolling their eyes and being ungrateful seem to be common. Tell them to pick something up and they answer, “Why should I?” Many times, it seems as if I hear these type of stories when children are [Read more…] about Stop the Back Talk and Keep Your Patience

How to Handle Your Child’s Tantrum. Plus! Do they Ever Stop?

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terrible twos tantrums, tantrum, child tantrums, tantrums, dealing with tantrums, toddler, stop tantrums, children tantrums, toddler tantrum, temper tantrum,temper tantrums, how to deal with tantrums, child tantrum, tantrums in children, tantrum definition, definition of tantrum, define tantrum, tantrums meaning, tantrums toddlers, tantrum baby, toddler tantrums, tantrums children, baby tantrum, tantrums definition, tantrums toddler, tantrums in toddlers, children and tantrums, toddler temper tantrums, children with tantrums, toddlers and tantrums, kids and tantrums, how to stop tantrums, toddlers tantrums, throw tantrum, baby tantrums, tantrum meaning, how to stop a tantrum, dealing with children, how to handle a tantrum, children tantrum, how to handle tantrums, tantrum child, throwing a tantrum, define tantrums, dealing with toddlers, tantrum children, tantrum toddler, child temper tantrums, kid tantrums, child temper tantrum, kids tantrums, frances walfish, dr. fran walfish, The Self-­Aware Parent: Resolving Conflict and Building a Better Bond with Your Child I never realized how easy I had it with my son–a tantrum would rarely occur, and when it did, it was easy to handle and was over in the blink of an eye. Then, my daughter came along. Don’t get me wrong, 99% of the time she’s sweet as pie, but at times, she can be described as a hurricane. A screamer, she lets everyone know that when she’s mad, she’s MAD. Yes, she’s a tantrum thrower. Completely unprepared for this sort of behavior, I didn’t know how to handle it. Knowing I’m not alone in wondering how to deal with tantrums, I turned to Breezy Mama‘s Go-To Child and Family Psychotherapist, Dr. Fran Walfish, Psy.D. for help.

What triggers a tantrum?

Temper tantrums are absolutely natural and expected during toddlerhood which I define as 18 months – 4 years of age.  The goal of the toddler is to claim himself as a separate being from Mommy.  He has many objectives to achieve during this crucial period of development.  In addition to separation, his goals include [Read more…] about How to Handle Your Child’s Tantrum. Plus! Do they Ever Stop?

Stop the Madness: Breaking the Lovey, Thumb Sucking, Pacifier Habit

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I am the mother of two kids: a four year-old who sucks his fingers and twirls my hair (his own when I’m not around) and a 21 month-old who has a blanket that isn’t more than a foot away from her at all times. My son has been sucking his fingers since he was two weeks old–I kid you not. And, the habit never really bothered me–until things like the swine flu hits or, the fact that he’s getting closer to kindergarten. As for my daughter, that blanket has been a lifesaver in too many different ways, but I am dreading the day when I tell her it can’t come out of her room. So, how does a parent stop these habits? What may seem like a hopeless and daunting task, CAN be done. Breezy Mama turns to Dr. Frances Walfish, Psy.D. for some help.

It seems to me as if children hang on to five things: a bottle, a pacifier, finger/thumb sucking, hair twirling and a lovey. Should all be stopped?

Eventually all of these habits should be stopped.  And they will.  Let’s first begin by understanding why these things are helpful and good.  They are all Transitional Objects (T.O.).  T.O.’s are encouraged with [Read more…] about Stop the Madness: Breaking the Lovey, Thumb Sucking, Pacifier Habit