Custodian
Los Angeles, CA
ASK DR. BROOKS.....If you have any special question or questions to ask Dr. Brooks please use our toll free number . You may leave a fax or a voice message. This site will be updated monthly:
Toll Free: 1-877-214-7974
E-Mail: bdavidbrks@aol.com
Do think violent video games has an effect on children or are they pretty harmless?
What do think is the single most important thing a parent can do to help insure success in school?
What is your opinion of school uniforms?
I use time out when my daughter misbehaves. How long should it be?
We will have our new baby soon. Have you any suggestions for safety practice?
What do think is the single most important thing a parent can do to help insure success in school?
Teach your child to enjoy reading. Reading is critical in language development, processing information and general success in school. Read to your child from birth. As he or she grows older, if you are going to be away video or audio record your reading time together so the child can enjoy the reading when you are not there. As soon as the child can read have the child have the child read out loud to you. You probably won't have to ask them, They will want to read to mom!
Do you think violent video games has an effect on children or are they pretty harmless?
First you must understand that children do not interpret information the same as mature adults. Life experiences, education and passage of time give adults a filtering system in their thinking that helps them separate fiction from reality. When adults see a violent movie or play a violent video they know that what they are seeing is not reality. However, children and adolescents, for the most part, are more liberal in their thinking and may confuse the game with reality.
It is my strong opinion that violence in the movies, games on TV has a great deal to do with the manner in which children view the world and how they think problems can be solved. My advice to parents is to limit, as much as humanly possible, the time that children spend viewing violence on TV or the movies and playing violent video games.
My daughter is entering the first grade. Can you give me any advice about getting the most out of parent teacher conferences?
Here are four basic rules for successful parent conferences:
1. Be prepared by discussing the pending conference with your children. Are they having problems, are there things they don't understand or are there questions that they want to ask?
2. Take a list of questions with you so you can stay focused.
3. If there are problems don't leave the conference without a plan for action you'll take and the teacher will take and what will be the expectation of the child.
4. After the conference discuss the results with your child. Be sure to inform the child or children that you and the teacher are working together and that you plan to keep in communication with the school.
There are additional suggestions in my booklet ."151 Way To Help Children Succeed In School"
My son who is in middle school, tells me has overheard a classmate say he wanted to die like the high school shooter in Colorado. My son says the boy is just a "big mouth" and doesn't believe he really means anything by his threatening remarks. What shall I do?
In almost every case of shootings in schools during the past two years, the exception being in the recent wounding of students in Georgia, the shooters have talked about their intentions before acting upon them. As a parent and a citizen people have the obligation to take the information given seriously and inform someone at the school or the police.
If your son tries to keep you from reporting the threatening remarks made by his school mate discuss with him how he might feel if the boy carried out his threat and friends of your son were injured or killed.
What is your opinion of school uniforms?
I favor school uniforms. They tend to cut down on clothing style competition between students and they eliminate the use of clothing as a gang identifier. The evidence is coming in that the wearing of uniforms in school does help to reduce discipline problems.
I am a parent and I teach high school. Can you recommend a book that I might use to impart some thoughts about character to my children and students?
On my resource page you will find "20 things I Want My Kids To Know" by Hal Urban. It is a wonderful book, chock full of great ideas and a valuable resource for teaching values in a fun and interesting manner.
I use time out when my daughter misbehaves. How long should it be?
The general rule is one minute for each year of a child's age. However, always set a time with a statement that is something like this. "You will be in time-out for five minutes. If you continue to cry and fuss I will have to stay in time-out until you and I can agree that you will behave."
We will have our new baby soon. Have you any suggestions for safety practice?
Don't put a crib where a child can pull on such things as the draw strings from blinds or draper. Be aware of pictures hanging on the wall. When the child is old enough to climb he or she may pull a picture off the wall right on top of themselves. Make sure that there are no wall electrical sockets into which a child could insert an object. Don't use grandmother's crib. It may look nice but not be very safe.
We will be doing a lot of traveling soon. What are some of the things we should do to make the trips more enjoyable and less stressful?
According to "Parenting For Dummies".(See Resource Page there are five General Travel Tidbits);
1. Allow yourself plenty of time to get where you are going.
2. Look for vacation sites that cater to children and families.
3. Have abundant snacks, water and toys on hand.
4. Take the phone number of the child's doctor and let the doctor know you will be traveling. 5. Take all medical insurance information with you.
We have our second baby on the way. My son is asking a lot of questions. What can I do to help my three year old son feel comfortable with a new baby entering our lives?
Be sure to involve the child in planning for a new addition. Preparing the bedroom or the sleeping space by having the child select a blanket, color of the sheets or helping to select infant toys are ways to involve the other child. Do something special with the older child so there remains a feeling of importance. Be sure to that having a new child in the house will be a difficult time. Explain some of the things that might happen such as crying, need to rock the baby and a change in the general schedule around the house.
Dr. B. David Brooks, Consulting Tel/Fax Toll Free: 1-877-214-7974
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