Dilemmas & solutions

Worried about what and how much your children watch on TV? Dr Tanya Byron gives her guide to ensure that your child has a Viewtritional TV diet!

We're having problems getting our 12 year-old son to go to bed at a reasonable hour. He goes to his room but it's not long before he's playing games on his computer or watching TV and hours pass and he's still awake. He's looking . tired and he's grumpy but he just tells us he's not a baby and to leave him alone. What can we do?

Ask any parent if they have a favourite child and they will almost certainly reply that they treat their children equally. Most do but probe a little deeper and you’ll find that at some time or another one child has indeed been preferred. The trick for parents is to make sure no sibling feels he is either the favourite or is treated less fairly.

My 11 year-old son is forever coming home late. Sometimes he goes to a friend's house then goes on somewhere else but forgets to tell me. Other times he's almost at a loss to explain where he's been. It's like he has no concept of time. There have been times when I've had to go looking for him because he is late and I'm so worried. I have talked to him about safety issues and how worried I get. I have also grounded him but it hardly seems to make any difference, within a few days he's done it again.

My daughter is 12 and starting to really show her independence. Up until now we've had no formal way of giving her pocket money - she's just asked for money when she's wanted something and we've given it. But now I'm thinking that weekly pocket money is a better idea so that she learns the value of money. My husband thinks I'm being old-fashioned and that we should just keep going as is. Can you help is resolve this issue?

Our 10 year-old son is very keen on competitive sport. He's active since he was very young and he's always really enjoyed it. The problem is that recently we've noticed a change in the way that he behaves when he loses. Either he becomes very angry, resenting his opponent and sometimes us if we're not sympathetic to him, or he becomes distant and quiet often for a day or so after the event. I want him to enjoy sport and be competitive but should I be worried about this? 

I am worried that my 12-year-old daughter is being cyber-bullied. She suffered a bit of bullying in her last year of primary school before transferring to high school last year, but I thought the change of school would've put an end to it. She's quite a quiet girl but recently she's seemed even more subdued. I've noticed text messages appearing on her mobile phone and she never seems keen to explain who these are from. I know she has a bebo page too, but I don't even know how to get on to it. I have asked her if anyone is being horrible to her and she just says no. What can I do to find out what's going on and help her?

My son aged nine has started throwing strops and is taking much longer to come out of them than ever before. He wouldn't play with his four-year-old sister at her party and when I told him he was being selfish, he took a huge huff and stayed in it for nearly an hour. I got angry with him, threatened sanctions, tried being nice - pretty much everything - but all to no avail? Any ideas?

A clash of personalities or a misunderstanding? Most teachers are far too professional to allow personal feelings to show in the classroom but what if your child is being picked on unfairly and it's making him unhappy?

Whenever you use a babysitter you should feel confident that your children are being well cared for in your absence. If you’re worried about the situation you won’t be able to enjoy a night out. So it makes sense to find a competent babysitter you can rely on. A few simple guidelines can make the babysitter/parent relationship more rewarding.

While your friends and family think you are great, have you ever stopped to think that you may be too nice? To find out, take this quick quiz from NannySuccess.com, an affordable web-based service which helps you to find the right nanny, au pair or housekeeper and then helps you to manage them well.

Research suggests babies are born with perfect pitch, an attribute which makes learning language much easier. So if  two languages (or more!) are spoken in your family, these top tips will ensure children get a distinct advantage.

Sadly one in ten children is never read a bedtime story and many others are only read to sporadically and yet just a few minutes of your time can make all the difference to your child’s future, says Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools & Families.

The Internet is a wonderful resource but are we doing enough to keep our children as safe in the virtual world as we would hope they are in the real world?

Headline news stories about children and drug abuse are enough to make parents want to lock up their offspring for their own protection. It’s just as easy to assume that drug abuse is rife everywhere as it is to think it won’t happen to my kids. Neither case is true and recent research has shown that there really is no stereotypical child or teenager who takes drugs.

Whether you are inviting another child on your weekend away/holiday or your son or daughter is  joining another family for a break a bit of pre-planning  can make it a much more enjoyable experience for everyone.

In spite of the fact that nearly one fifth of families in the UK has just one child, only children are still regarded as a bit of an oddity.

The Government has recognised the importance of of children developing good social skills with the inclusion of the SEAL - social and emotional aspects of learning - programme in secondary schools after it has been running in two thirds of primary schools through classes such as PE and drama. But to improve your child's chances of success in later life, there are simple strategies parents can follow at home.