Work these days demands huge amount of time and taking a day off could just leave you jobless. Under such grave circumstances sharing quality time with children and family has become difficult.

Separation and divorce and the events that follow them, interrupt the stableness and mental state of the children terribly. These are events that are not sudden. They are caused as a long stretched undue disturbed relationship.

I sometimes see such hostility, hate and resentment in families that I can do little to help. Often a difficult, defiant child clashes with confronting, forceful parents and this starts a war where there are no winners.

Raising a child isn't a straightforward business, as most parents will tell you. There are demands that need to be met, plus plenty of stress and worries until they grow up to an age when you may be sure they can look after themselves. Unfortunately, these days, less than half the American families manage to stay together, and parents often divorce when children are still young, due to numerous reasons.

Dawdling and won't get dressed

I am told there are children who jump with enthusiasm out of bed, get dressed and are ready for school hours ahead of time. But this endangered species is outnumbered by whole divisions of dawdlers.

Words have enormous power. What parents and teachers say, and how they say it, can have enormous impact. Boys are as susceptible to hurtful words and criticisms as girls, despite any pretence they make of being tough and immune to insult.