Ask Dr. Bob

Dr. Bob: My seven-year-old is anxious. Should she see a counselor? Answer: This is an excellent question.  We are currently in a pediatric mental health crisis – too many children are manifesting anxiety or depression and too few services are available.  If you are concerned that your child’s anxiety is comprising her ability to function…

Dr. Bob: How do you manage “sibling rivalry?”  Answer: This is a very broad question.  One can address this question from the newborn period (when a newborn comes home and, all of a sudden an older child has competition for affection) or later in childhood (from preschool rivalries to teenage squabbles).  Let me address this…

Dr. Bob: I have a next level dawdler, taking forever to get things done. Everything my 5-year-old does takes a significant amount of encouragement and coaxing and finally “the countdown.” I hate how frustrated I get. I don’t want the threat of lost privileges to be the only thing that finally gets her going. Any…

Dr. Bob: I’m struggling to help my elementary school aged child connect with friends outside of school. There are many reasons for this. My husband and I both work long hours, so we often need the weekends to relax and reconnect as a family. We also live in a rural area, so we don’t have…

Dr. Bob: My grandson is 6 years old and I think he is showing signs of being on the autism spectrum.  Besides the flapping of his hands, nervous twitching, sudden outbursts and being very sensitive to loud sounds, he refuses to poop in the toilet.  He has to poop in a pull-up, standing up.  He…

Dr. Bob:  For the past few years, my wife and I have been kept from seeing our grandchildren, even not allowing us to take them out to lunch. The parents are depriving us of precious time with them. What can we do to reverse this behavior? Answer: Family discord is always a difficult problem.  Obviously,…