School Age Children Q & A

Remorseless Anger My seven-year-old son got in trouble for invading a classmate’s personal space. His teacher dealt with the problem on the spot, but, like me, is puzzled over my son’s lack of remorse. He’s never acted this way before.
Boy Crazy I babysit a seven-year-old girl who is obsessed with boys, crushes, love and dating. Her parents got divorced last year and both of them are now dating, which is affecting her. She’s big for her age and has been teased at school. I tell her that she’s beautiful and that she doesn’t need to worry about boys yet. Is there anything else I can do or say to help her through this troubled time?
Too Cuddly? Our seven-year-old is always hugging her classmates, whether they reciprocate or not. This was fine back in kindergarten, but now that she’s older, we’re worried it will alienate some of her friends. We hug her and say “I love you” daily, so we’re at a loss to explain why she constantly seeks affection.
Sad Feelings At times, my six-year-old son seems to be intensely sad. For example, today the story of Puff the Magic Dragon left him in tears. Other times, sadness will just seem to sweep over him and he’ll be non-communicative, maybe just wanting to be held. I have a history of depression myself, and I hate to think he’s destined to suffer in the same way.
Learning Trouble My 9-year-old son has trouble comprehending the material he’s being taught at school. His teachers say he’s not focused and loses concentration easily. We’ve tested his vision and hearing, and also did an auditory-processing test; everything has come back fine. I feel helpless. Do you have any advice?
Imaginary Friends Sprinkles, my six-year-old’s imaginary friend, has been with us for more than four years. About six months ago, my son realized Sprinkles had left him and he was distraught. Eventually he got over it, but today he whispered in my ear that Sprinkles is back. At what age do imaginary friends leave a child and should I do anything about this?
Trouble Transitioning The school year is almost over, but my six-year-old daughter still seems to be struggling with the transition to all-day school. She cries almost every day and isn’t able to cope with small disappointments, like not being first in line. I’m afraid this will get even worse over the summer and she’ll be starting grade two at a disadvantage. What’s going on? Can I do anything to help her?
Wondering about Religion Our six-year-old has a strong aversion to religion, to the point where he gets upset when people pray or say grace in front of him. He says it’s because he doesn’t understand why someone would talk to someone they can’t see. While my husband and I aren’t particularly religious, my mother-in-law insists on buying him religious books, which he refuses to read. Will he be missing out on something crucial to his development if he doesn’t learn about religion?
Peanut Panic Because our eight-year-old son has a serious peanut allergy, we’ve been teaching all of our children the importance of food safety. At the same time, we don’t want to frighten them, especially the youngest, who freaks out when she sees nutty candy bars at the supermarket checkout. What’s the best way to handle this?
Losing Friends My six-year-old son recently “broke up” with his best friend. He’s taking the separation quite hard. How can I help him through this?
Rejecting Praise We’re accustomed to our seven-year-old daughter’s difficulty accepting praise, but her recent reaction was the worst yet. When we told her how proud we were when she was chosen to read the morning announcements at school, she got very angry, yelled at us to stop talking about it and began to cry. My husband says these “moments” are normal. Is he right?
Been Caught Stealing Lately, my seven-year-old has been taking money from my wallet and loose change he finds around the house. I’ve told him it’s stealing and not to do it anymore, but it’s still going on. How can I get him to stop?
Downbeat Disposition My eight-year-old son has become negative about almost everything. Whether we’re discussing what’s for supper or plans for the weekend, he says no, whines and complains — although he often comes round in the end. This is a big change from his previous sunny self. Any ideas?