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Tovah P. Klein, PhD

"Secrets from the woman they call the TODDLER WHISPERER."
Good Morning America

That bratty monster you fear is only trying to find his place in the world

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I’ve heard a wide range of parenting concerns, worries and questions over the years. Common themes arise again and again, in different forms but with similar challenges. This month, I’ll address something parents of toddlers are all familiar with: erratic behavior—you know, when your child suddenly starts acting like a monster that you cannot control.

I recently received this email from a frustrated and worried couple: “Our 4 year old son is a happy, talkative, sweet little boy. But, in the past two months he has become a surly, easily upset kid. He gets mad, screams, yells and makes outrageous demands including that one of us do everything for him in no time. He has changed… and we are missing the child he used to be and are not sure if we should be worried. Is something wrong? And how do we help him?” [Read more…]

How to Avoid Spoiling Your Child

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First-time dad learns how not to be the kind of parent he fears becoming.

interview with Tovah P. Klein from time.com/money
Excerpt from article.
I started thinking about the nature of toddlers and their stuff, and I’ve been mulling over a few issues ever since. The first has to do with spoiling. I know that you can’t really spoil a baby—infants’ needs must be met. But am I developing habits of indulgence now that will ossify over time and lead me to spoil Luke when he’s older? Am I setting myself up to be a bad parent? The second issue has to do with the presents themselves, the catalyst of my spoiling concern: there must be a better use for all that money.

On the first question, the experts are clear. “You’re not going to spoil a baby,” says Tovah P. Klein, assistant professor of psychology at Barnard College and author of How Toddlers Thrive. “They need to be comforted and cared for.”
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Tovah Lets Little New Yorkers Resolve Their Own Disputes

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a href=”http://www.wsj.com/articles/at-barnard-center-for-toddler-development-dr-tovah-p-klein-lets-little-new-yorkers-resolve-their-own-disputes-1402881373″ target=”_blank”>The Wall Street Journal
What happens inside the sole classroom at the Barnard Center for Toddler Development isn’t always pretty. Parents who observe from behind a one-way mirror sometimes break down in tears as they watch their 2-year-olds fight over toys. To help the children learn to stick up for themselves, teachers don’t intervene unless someone is about to get hurt.
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