Ask Dr. Meg: My Child Is a Tattle-Tale!
Siblings telling on each other is normal, but it’s exhausting for parents who end up policing every little thing.
July 15, 2022
Siblings telling on each other is normal, but it’s exhausting for parents who end up policing every little thing.
Exhaustion is the enemy of any good parent. Sleep training your baby can make all the difference.
I’m here to debunk the myth that babies (even newborns) are destined to be terrible sleepers.
Your child wants to know what you think about her, especially as her body is changing.
Spring represents a season of rebirth and growth. One thing that is essential right now to not only survive this time but to thrive is gratitude.
To aid in teaching kids goal-setting, when setting parenting resolutions, the goal should have less focus on short-term behavior and more on long-term results.
Raising daughters today is more complicated than in years past. Social media runs their world. Learn how you can guide them through a toxic culture.
The influx of Christmas cards can lead us to compare our family to everyone else’s. Here’s how two families brought a real connection back into Christmas cards.
With consumerism at our fingertips during the holidays, kids need gratitude more than ever.
What 25 years of volunteering at a soup kitchen taught me (and my family) about life.
Parents, are you playing the short-term game or the long-term game in parenting?
Online bullying is an epidemic among teens. Here’s what you, and your teen, can do to help.
There’s a lot of talk right now about kids going off to college and what parents should expect. But what if your kid isn’t going off to college?
It’s important to reframe discipline as simply setting boundaries—healthy boundaries that are good for your kids and good for you. Not sure how to do this?
Over the past few weeks, news headlines have been monopolized by the Jeffrey Epstein case—a multi-millionaire accused of sex trafficking under-aged girls.
Vaccinations have been a hot button topic for some time, but with school starting in a few weeks, many uncertain parents are revisiting immunization.
ADHD can provide a daunting situation, but remember that you are in charge. You can give medication or not, depending on your comfort level.
The statistics are nuts, social media is causing serious mental illness in teens. Here are clinically approved recommendations to limit screen time.
Many kids find the transition into a faithful life can be strenuous. Here are my top-picked verses to give your child the motivation they need.
So-called “common” remedies just don’t work. Here’s my top at-home remedies to fight the common cold in your baby…
Every year tens of thousands of teenagers are aging out of the foster care system. Dr. Meg shows us the organizations and people who are changing that.
Letting your kids out into the big, scary world is daunting for any parent. Here are the highlights you should know before you set your daughter free.
Discipline doesn’t mean yelling and fighting. When done right, discipline can be exactly what your child needs to be the best they can be.
Our devices are addicting. Dads, here’s why you should eradicate your phone addiction and pay attention to your family.
Your child’s feelings are real, and how they deal with them has a lasting impact. Try these three tips to model and teach emotional intelligence.
Screens may be a mainstay of our world, but that doesn’t mean you can’t control how they affect your children. You have more control over this than you think.
Critical Questions Every Parent Must Answer When Evil Hits. Tips and tricks from a pediatrician.
How do you connect with your grandkids when in-laws get in the way? It’s a tough one, but it can be done.
Setting boundaries with family members regarding what they can and cannot do with your children are important. Here’s how to approach this delicate issue.
The pressure that comes alongside parenting is plentiful. Don’t add to the load with unrealistic expectations, try these tips to let go of perfect.
Victoria’s Secret’s latest ad campaign features lacy, colorful thongs with words like “Wild,” “Feeling Lucky?’ and “Call me” written on them.
Parents, if you trust your teenager you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. From a cognitive standpoint, teens aren’t there yet.
I’ve noticed as a pediatrician, many good and bad habits in my patients can be linked to interactions with their father. Dads, understand your impact.
As summer approaches many parents are faced with the issue of shopping for age-appropriate swimwear. Dr. Meg offers advice when navigating this situation.
Setting up this routine first will make sleep training your baby so much easier.
We all know the physical dangers of teen sex, but the emotional repercussions are just as damaging. Use these expert-approved tips for having “The Talk”.
It’s called the “common cold”, but when your baby gets sick you can’t treat them the way you would treat yourself. Read these expert-approved tips.
Every parent is a child’s compass, showing them right and wrong. Use these 5 expert tips to keep your child from being an instigator or victim of bullying.
The back-to-school flurry is stressful for all parents, but it should be a lesson in gratitude as well. Here, an empty nester reflects on her own journey.
The death of Robin Williams and many others to suicide is a powerful reminder that the early warning signs of depression must be taken seriously.
From age-appropriate sleep guidelines to your parenting mindset, here are the 3 ways to tackle the back to school season with intention (and calm).
Here are a few ways that you can tell if your child really has the whole package- the talent, desire, personality, and heart to get to the Olympics.
We all remember those late nights with your kids, sometimes, it can be too much. Here’s how to be a great parent and have your life under control.
Sometimes, the things that our children do is to gain attention. Here’s my response to a worried mother.
I have received many questions from parents about what to say, how to respond and how to know if their son or daughter is transsexual.
Lately, the fears of real-life dangers have been setting in. HIV, AIDS, and other diseases are very real and are something to watch out for. Here’s my guide.
It’s easy to pin yourself as the bad guy. In this quickie, Dr. Meg will walk through pointing the finger at the world, not yourself.
Most mothers (and fathers) struggle with a sense that they’re not getting things right when it comes to parenting. But we don’t stop there.
Friends- it’s a new year and I’d like to start it in a peculiar way. I realized 30 years ago that if I really wanted to help kids in my…
Does Dr. Meg shop on Black Friday? Here’s her family’s take, and how to use gift-giving as a lesson for kids.
This is such a hot-button issue that Dr. Meg had to weigh in. Use these 5 tips to better discipline your child.
Many teens struggle to establish healthy sleep routines. Here’s how to differentiate between poor sleep and serious issues.
Breastfeeding is so good for babies, but certain medications and factors can affect the process. Here’s what you need to know.
Parents, sugar addiction is REAL and DAMAGING. Set your children up for a healthier, happier life instead.
The most successful men and women have this one thing in common. Are you developing it in your children?
Men and women love differently; it’s just the truth. Here’s how dads can show love to their daughters in a way they’ll understand.
We are never, ever too old to heal from the pain our own parents caused. Dr. Meg comforts a concerned brother.
Motherhood is no easy task, but with these four tips you can be more intentional as a parent and cherish your role as a mom.
Cheating, while physical, always points to larger issues. Dr. Meg analyzes a woman’s infidelity and self-esteem problem.
If you struggle with saying negative things or yelling in the heat of the moment with your child, use these four tips.
Dr. Meg shares a valuable lesson she’s learned after 30 years as a pediatrician: what every child needs from their dad.
Marital separation is truly hard on everyone, but there’s only one person you should be thinking about: your child.
Let me ask you, friends, “How did it go? You know- Thanksgiving?” What would you say? Could it be that many of you would answer, “Ugh, I’m so glad it’s over?”
Ask Dr. Meg: real questions, real answers. If you’d like to ask me a question, leave a comment on this blog post and I’ll do everything I can to get to it!
You talk often of the importance of a father in a daughter’s life. Any advice or books to read for those of us who missed having that type of father.
As a doctor, I can probe, culture, prescribe antibiotics, and aggressively treat and track contagious STDs. But depression is different.
We don’t often (ever?) associate the NFL with parenting. As a pediatrician, I get it.
Daniel brought his 15-year-old son, Brandon, to my office. For the past two years, Brandon’s grades had plummeted from B’s to F’s.
As a pediatrician who has listened to many children cry over the fathers they never knew, I know how critical it is to our children to be impacted by great dads
During the final scene of the movie Dead Man Walking, a death row inmate, bound at the wrists and feet, is led into a chamber where he will be put to death.
Beneath the ethereal joy a mother feels at the first sight of her son, lies a nugget-sized ache wrapped in fear. Her infant son needs her.
Ask Dr. Meg: real questions, real answers. If you’d like to ask me a question, leave a comment on this blog post and I’ll do everything I can to get to it!
Dr. and Mrs. Dobson are out of the Family Talk office for a few weeks while he finishes his newest book.
From the moment a mother holds her newborn son, his eyes tell her that she is his world.
The strongest desire of the Christian parent’s heart is to communicate the the love you feel for Jesus to your kids.
I pray blessings for you and your families on this holiday. Enjoy your time with family, friends, and loved ones.
Once we decide what matters most, what we’re really here on earth for, then and only then, will we understand our real value as moms and as women.
It’s here. That googly-goblin, orange time of year. Keep a lid on sanity this Halloween—particularly when it comes to costumes.
Fatty, sweet foods have the capacity to become just as addictive as cocaine.
From the perspective of a kid, parenting is as simple as just “behaving.”
Young girls are seduced into believing that in order to “be somebody,” they need to look and act promiscuous—Miley Cyrus, a perfect example.
If we stick our necks out and believe, then we’d better get ready to receive something profoundly and mysteriously wonderful.
Don’t wait for the government, your child’s school, or a community program to tell you what to do for your kids; you do it.
ADHD can provide a daunting situation, but remember that you are in charge. You can give medication or not, depending on your comfort level.
Reasons why Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters is a good fit for widows with daughters.
Here’s my Pro Guide on how to combat the negative parenting techniques offered by an ex-spouse.
When we allow public access to our deepest selves, we give others control over us. We should not allow this to happen to our kids.
Recently, a reader asked how to explain to her young daughter what the word “rape” meant.
When tragedy strikes and children are trapped beneath the rubble of their collapsed elementary school, it causes each of us to gasp.
During the next 30 days or so, I’ll be posting excerpts and highlights from my book, Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: The 30-Day Challenge.
To honor and celebrate you, Mom, this week I’m posting about the tough—but oh, so rewarding— job of motherhood.
My friend, LuAnne Crane, recently made one of the hardest decisions of her life: she decided to leave a job she has loved for 30 years to be home with her son.
With the Newtown shootings still freshly on our minds, we were confronted with more horror as terrorists set off bombs in the crowd at the Boston Marathon.
I recently heard from a mother who has a seven-year-old son who is having issues with bedwetting.
I am my own worst enemy. I say mean things to loved ones when I don’t want to, I fall asleep praying, and I hurt friends’ feelings.
THANK YOU for your terrific comments about my recent post, “Birth Control, Religion, and Ethical Issues,” both here on the blog and on Facebook.
I recently attended a retreat for the organization, Family Talk, with James Dobson. I made many new friends.
I recently spoke to a large group of high school students about sex and sexuality. A number of students had told the staff that they were either gay or bisexual
Women have served in combat zones for a long time, but military women have just “won” the right to move to the front and be slaughtered.
A new study published this week in a journal found that the mental health of expectant fathers is important to the happiness and well-being of their babies.
Today, I’m featured at Dave Ramsey’s How to Have a Merry Different Christmas Blog:
Every physician makes mistakes, and I understand that. Unfortunately for doctors, the mistakes we make can cost kids their lives.
I wanted to give a quick follow-up to last week’s post about the cause of autism. Many of you responded here and on Facebook with comments and questions.
October is SIDS Awareness month, and I would be remiss not to address it. The death of a child is every parent’s deepest fear.
I’m so excited to let you know that October is a special month for moms here at MegMeekerMD.com!
Over the weekend, I did an on-air radio interview on Talk Radio One, and I wanted you to know about it.
A new study from the British Medical Journal found that doctors who trust their gut feelings when evaluating a sick child significantly helped the child.
It’s Friday and what better way to celebrate than finding a fun movie to watch this weekend. I love a movie that makes me laugh and endears me to the characters
It’s that time again. The presidential election is around the corner and tempers are flying.
Many thanks to Chad at TriFatherhood.com for featuring a Q&A with me this week on his blog.
It’s my pleasure to host Rachel Cruze today at MegMeekerMD.com. Rachel is the daughter of bestselling author and financial expert Dave Ramsey.
Ask Dr. Meg: real questions, real answers. If you’d like to ask me a question, leave a comment on this blog post and I’ll do everything I can to get to it!
Women who have had one or more abortions are at a significantly higher risk of having a baby born before 28 weeks gestation, a new study from Finland finds.
Kids approach eating very differently than we do. For most boys and girls under nine to ten years old, eating is simply not a priority.
In the United States today, we celebrate Labor Day, which means the end of summer and the beginning of fall.
I recently heard from a dad of two girls, ages 7 and 8, who asked for recommendations for activities to do with his daughters.
Kudos to 12-year-old Nathan Sorrell. You may have seen him during the Olympics. He wasn’t in the Olympics; he was advertised during the Olympic games.
Your 4-year-old son tells you that he wants to wear dresses to preschool; should you let him? The New York Times recently weighed in.
Feeling abandoned and being separated from a child are two of the most painful experiences a person can have.
Growing up, my parents did a great job of teaching me that managing money is based on one thing: common sense.
I love watching the Olympics, but somehow, it pushes my parenting buttons. “Oohing and ahhing” at young, elite athletes makes me question my own parenting.
Kelly is on my A-list of incredibly cute patients. She is ten. Freckles plaster her face. And she has bright, fuzzy red hair.
My friends have been talking about the new site and how much fun they’ve been having “pinning” everything from recipes to parenting tips, so I checked it out!
School is starting around the country and as moms out there start to run into other mothers, I know it is inevitable that conflict will rear its ugly head.
It’s amazing when you realize how much media our kids are really exposed to daily. (Media, in this case, refers to TV, computers, DVDs, video games and music).
Several days ago, when I illumined my 26 y/o daughter with the truth that “life is just really hard” she barked at me, telling me that I was a real pessimist.
June flies into August and as soon as smoke from the Fourth of July fireworks leaves our nostrils. Here we are again.
Are you reading Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: The 30 Day Challenge?
Now that Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters is out, I wanted to pass along a few ideas to help these men pass along the new book to their buddies.
Did you miss Meg on either of these radio shows? Check them out here:
Ask Dr. Meg: real questions, real answers. If you’d like to ask me a question, leave a comment on this blog post and I’ll do everything I can to get to it!
I lost my dear father one year ago this past March and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of him and either cry or smile.
Sending a very warm welcome to everyone visiting today thanks to the Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda.
As many of you know, years ago I wrote Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: Ten Secrets Every Father Should Know and it quickly became a national best-seller.
Since everyone is oohing and aahing about the mother breastfeeding her four year old on the cover of TIME magazine, I’ll throw in my two cents.
A frightening study was just release in The New England Journal of Medicine about the state of our children’s health.
I hope you’ll take time today to click the three links above and listen the broadcasts I taped with Dennis Rainey and Dennis Rainey from FamilyLife Today.
Dara-Lynn Weiss wrote an article in Vogue magazine about putting her 8 year old daughter on a diet and has come under heavy fire.
Parents consistently lament to me that their sons won’t listen and behave. Their discipline falls on deaf ears and stony hearts.
My prayer is that we can all remember the real meaning of Good Friday and Easter is to acknowledge that Jesus died for our sins to give mankind everlasting life
During her son’s seven-year old well visit, Sue told me that her son, Corbin, was having some temper issues. I asked her to describe them.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention just released a startling new statistic on autism: 1 in 88 kids in the US have it.
When she is a baby, her eyes will search for your face. Her ears will listen to your voice and everything inside her will need to answer only one question…
Have you seen the YouTube video posted by a father who shot his daughter’s laptop? You need to.
Ask Dr. Meg: real questions, real answers. If you’d like to ask me a question, leave a comment on this blog post and I’ll do everything I can to get to it!
I know there are plenty of New Year’s promotions out there promising to whittle those 10 last pounds away…
After a horrific year in 2011, I’m needing a reprieve. Maybe you are too. The million dollar question for us is: how do we get our bearings?
We are back in the swing of things on the blog today. I’ll have new content soon, but in the meantime, here is a question and my reply from a reader last fall.
As everyone is gathering together with their families today, my prayer is that you feel the joy and hope that Christmastime brings.
Peter and Elizabeth loved athletics and the outdoors. When Elizabeth was in the fourth grade, she began running track.
Christmas is about God leaving heaven and showing up. Let that sink in this Christmas.
Today’s post is taken from an interview with the lovely Sheila Liaugminas. Visit her site (and view the original article) here
Ah, Thanksgiving and Christmas, those two heavy-hitters of family togetherness.
A Dad wrote in asking me how he can be sure that he’s giving equal time to his five daughters. Here is my response…
The television show, Biggest Loser, has come under fire recently for sending the wrong message to kids about weight loss.
Many of you have asked my opinion about the HPV vaccine Gardasil and teen girls and boys. Here are my thoughts.
A friend of mine shared this Halloween story with me and it really made me smile. It’s heartwarming, but it’s also a great parenting lesson.
My heart is broken. I buried my mother and my best friend last week and I feel as though a truck has driven through the middle of me.
Dads, what your daughter wants most from you is your time. Don’t be anxious about spending time with her.
What does your son or daughter do that makes you proud? It can be a story about something they did or maybe it’s something they said.
Our telephone rang at 3 am two days ago. It was my mother gasping for breath.
Many of you fathers, especially those of you who are divorced, feel very discouraged about your relationships with your daughters.
Most of you know how I feel about media and kids: it has little, if any, value in their lives.
Here’s the answer to Wednesday’s post about Stephen: I asked Stephen’s parents, principal and two teachers to fill out questionnaires about Stephen.
You parents out there with excitable, happy, bouncy children may be able to relate to today’s parent puzzler.
So many of you have written asking questions about vaccinations- particularly Varicella (chickenpox) and the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccines.
At age fifty-two, I often feel hopeless about being able to get back into shape. I used to love to run.
A reader recently wrote to ask my help with her 3rd grader’s newly developed sleep problem.
Marie brought 8 year old Sidney in stating that she had been having a cough for 6 months.
We introduce Habit #10 in The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers on the blog today.
We mothers are bossy. I like to believe that God gave us a warrior spirit- the kind that sees red when someone tries to harm one of our kids.
This was a tough one, readers! But I think most of you that commented were right on point. Scroll down below to see what I told Emily to do about her son…
Conscientious mothers and fathers struggle constantly to find the right balance between spending energies at work and at home.
Sometimes the toughest questions from our kids are the ones that catch us off-guard and leave us really scratching our heads about what to do.
I was helping my husband put a piece of dock in the water by our lake camp when I overstepped the end of the dock and plunged into the water.
Not too long ago, I asked readers to tell me what topics they’d like to see on my blog. I’m working on those suggestions and today is the first in that series.
I love everyone’s answers to Wednesday’s parent puzzler. Several of you had been in similar predicaments yourself and others had some really insightful tidbits.
In case you missed it, my parent puzzler question of the week can be viewed here.
I’ll be on Ramsey Radio this afternoon discussing my book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters. Just in time for Father’s Day!
You, dear readers, are amazing. That being said, let’s get to what I told Hannah’s parents:
I attended an all-women’s college (my own decision) and really didn’t give my parents much trouble. Here’s one of my college stories.
This morning I decided we should play another parent puzzler. It’s always fun to hear from parents about how they’d handle a certain parenting dilemma.
We all put our faith in something, and we do so every single day. So the real question isn’t whether or not we should have faith.
I will miss you Daddy. But for now I thank you that until your last breath, you gave me good gifts.
I really enjoyed this discussion with Deb on my book The Ten Habits of Happy Mothers, Reclaiming Our Passion, Purpose and Sanity!
Meg Meeker, a pediatrician and mom of four who visited TODAY to talk about her new book, “The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers.”
Billy Ray Cyrus has recently cried out to the country that he made some serious mistakes as a Dad.
They say that opposite-sex friends make better friends because they bring very different perspectives to the relationship. But let’s look at a few things here.
Friends for all the years because women friendships follow each other through the years, listening, questioning, or even crying for each other.
We weren’t born to be mothers who are thin, rich, smart, who drive a lot, buy our kids great clothes, or get them into good colleges.
My ex-husband has completely different rules at his house. He lets my 14-year-old daughter do anything and I’m afraid that she’s going to get into trouble.
My book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters generated a mass of mail from single mothers demanding answers about some very important issues.
Puberty starting in the first and second grades? Yes — Pediatrics has just released a study confirming our worries.
The teenage brain is the 8th wonder of the world. As a pediatrician who gets to talk to a lot of teens, I enjoy pulling back the sheet which cover their brains.
As predictably as the sun rises each morning, when mid-October rolls around, my office is inundated with panic-stricken mothers. Their worry? Let’s find out.
Ask Dr. Meg: real questions, real answers. If you’d like to ask me a question, leave a comment on this blog post and I’ll do everything I can to get to it!
Always enjoy your Monday appearances on Teresa Tomeo. Your appearance this past Monday was especially on the mark and really hit a nerve.
Guess what? It’s not another computer game, it‘s you. We’ll look at how to get the most of your time with your son.
They cry more. They sleep less. Their first, second and third words are: “no”, “no” and “no” again.
Your daughter wants a hero and she has chosen you, Dad, to be hers. She needs a hero to help her navigate a treacherous popular culture.
Ask Dr. Meg: real questions, real answers. If you’d like to ask me a question, leave a comment on this blog post and I’ll do everything I can to get to it!
Prom is tomorrow and while I’m excited to teach him about manners and handling situations, something is gnawing at me.
Your daughter wants a hero-and she has chosen you, Dad, to be hers. She needs a hero to help her navigate a treacherous popular culture.
Any parent who has read text messages on her son’s phone recognizes a peculiar phenomenon: the words aren’t the same as he uses when he speaks.
Ask Dr. Meg: real questions, real answers. If you’d like to ask me a question, leave a comment on this blog post and I’ll do everything I can to get to it!
Ask Dr. Meg: real questions, real answers. If you’d like to ask me a question, leave a comment on this blog post and I’ll do everything I can to get to it!
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a good parenting book on boys.
I just finished reading your book “Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters.” I want to thank you for it and for your strong and clear position.
Ask Dr. Meg: real questions, real answers. If you’d like to ask me a question, leave a comment on this blog post and I’ll do everything I can to get to it!
I just wanted to thank you for your book “Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters”.
Ask Dr. Meg: real questions, real answers. If you’d like to ask me a question, leave a comment on this blog post and I’ll do everything I can to get to it!
I just finished reading your book, Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters.
Ask Dr. Meg: real questions, real answers. If you’d like to ask me a question, leave a comment on this blog post and I’ll do everything I can to get to it!
Ask Dr. Meg: real questions, real answers. If you’d like to ask me a question, leave a comment on this blog post and I’ll do everything I can to get to it!
Dr. Meg Meeker is a global leading authority in child-father relationships. She has over 30 years of experience as a pediatrician; is the author of the bestselling book and now movie, Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters; host of the popular parenting podcast, Parenting Great Kids; TEDTalk and international speaker; and father-inclusive advocate. As an expert in the field, Dr. Meg equips dads (and those who love them) with tools and training based on extensive practical experience and research.