Mental Illness in Children: Some Facts and Sources
Mental illness in children is on the rise for many reasons: bullying at school, being in a hurricane, violence in the family and/or community, seeing a school shooting, worries about terrorism, and a change in brain chemistry at maturation. An increasing number of children are experiencing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. Depression in children, including elementary age kids, is on the rise. If you search the internet you will find many facts about mental illness in children. These facts tell a story. * 1 in 10 children have a mental illness that keeps them from functioning in their families, in their schools, and in their communities. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) * An...
My Daughter Died - Who Am I Now?
The death of a child is a stunning blow and changes a parent's life forever. It is an out-of-turn death -- something that should not happen. My daughter died at age 45 from the injuries she received in a car crash. Her death changed my identity and my life. Some of the changes are good and others are not so good. One good change is my sensitivity to other people. Though I have always been a sensitive person, I am more sensitive now. My daughter's death, her appointment of my husband and me as her children's guardians, and becoming a GRG (grandparent raising grandchildren) have given me many new writing topics. These are good changes. What about the not so good? When you have lost four loved...
The Solution to the Texting While Driving Ban
Hands free access will allow anyone to text, call, and email all with voice commands. This very innovative solution to the texting while driving dilemma needs to be in the hands of anyone with a mobile device that is used for communication. Hands free access is safe, simple and most of all cost effective. January 26, 2010, the Transportation Department is announcing an immediate ban on text messaging by truck and bus drivers on the road with fines up to 2,750. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is moving full steam ahead to keep our roads and highways safe from the ever growing epidemic of texting while driving. Statistics show that an individual that is texting while driving can travel the length...
Top Ten Signs Your Child May Be Using Drugs
There are many, many more signs to look for if you are the parent of a tween or teen, but I'll list just some of the Top Ten for now. These are some of the earliest signs, the ones that are easier to ignore when we don't even want to think about the possibilities of drug use. First of all, always listen to your gut! If something feels "hinky," don't ignore it. If your infant feels a little warm, warmer than usual or has the sniffles you wouldn't ignore that. You'd get out the thermometer pronto and make sure the numbers didn't rise. Likewise with the sniffles, you'd pay close attention and if the condition worsens, you'd call your family physician. Unfortunately, there are no drug thermometers. You...
Dating, Relationships and Your Brain
There are many unconscious forces at work in every stage of a relationship that have the potential for undermining your best efforts to sustain love if you are not aware. Being fully aware is difficult and controlling the outcome is impossible. You improve your chances for success in making long-term choices if you can uncover the unconscious biological and emotional forces that may be influencing you. In this article we'll look at brain development as a biological force that might be at play when you are making relationship choices. YOUR GRAY MATTER MATTERS Adolescence and young adulthood appears to be a very busy time for that gray matter beneath your skull. Researchers are finding that our...
Alcoholism In Teenager - Could Your Teenager Be An Alcoholic?
Could your teenager be an alcoholic? Absolutely, alcoholism in teenagers is a real problem that is often ignored by parents. Teens today drink. In fact nearly 60% of all teenagers today have admitted to drinking. Can these same teens let their drinking get out of control? Yes they can, in fact the younger teens start drinking, the higher the chances of developing alcoholism they have. Many of us are under the assumption that alcoholism is an "adult disease". Many alcoholics started drinking heavily in college or even in high school. Why do teens drink? There are many reasons and most of them are not that smart. Teens drink to fit in. This is perhaps the number one reason for teenage...
Defiant and Aggressive Teens - How to Manage Their Behavior
Having worked with defiant and aggressive teens for the last 5 years, I've learned some very important pieces of advice for managing that aggressive behavior. I'm often asked, "What are the best ways to parent an aggressive or defiant teen?" Well for starters, the most important factor that I must stress is that you must always control yourself. I cannot stress that enough. If you are running around, not in control of yourself, why should you expect your teen to stay in control of themselves. Many conversations will get out of control with an aggressive teen if you are not in control of your own actions. Don't react to your teen's behavior. Be proactive. Proactive in the sense that you are expecting...
ADD and Troubled Teens
Attention Deficient Disorder (ADD) and troubled teens is increasing in popularity. Over the years, more teenagers are diagnosed with ADD because research has shown the signs that we have missed. Many teens with ADD end up exhibiting deviant behavior because of the symptoms they experience from their behavior disorder. Symptoms of ADD and Troubled Teens Children and teenagers with ADD experience difficulties at home and in school. They deal with symptoms of this inattention disorder everyday which makes it hard for them to live a normal life. Symptoms associated with this inattention issue include being unable to focus for long periods of time, remembering information and organizing thoughts...
Parenting in Shifts - Does it Work?
Everyone has different parenting styles. What works for one couple doesn't necessarily work for the next. Taking responsibility for the duties of caring for a newborn infant should be one in which both parents do their fair share. The way in which those duties are handled is unique to the particular family. One young couple that I know has decided to handle their parenting tasks by taking shifts. Although it is certainly up to them to find solutions that work best for their family, parenting in shifts just isn't practical. For example, she takes the day shift whiles he takes the night. But the problem is that life is just not that predictable. Perhaps it would be better if it were but it's not. I am...
Parenting When It's Hard - The Leap of Faith
When You Are Stuck In "The Parenting Hole" Have you ever gotten to the point where you wonder if it was all worth it? Where your frustration and stress and hopelessness reach the point where you look at the child you are working so hard to raise, and wonder if you can do it? Where you are practically ready to wash your hands of them or run away from home and join the circus? Where you feel like the whole darned thing has been a complete waste of time and that nothing you do, or have ever done, or ever will do, will make the slightest difference, or have the slightest impact on who they become? I call that place "The parenting hole", and if you've ever been there, you know how scary it can be. It is...
Attachment Theory Basics
The word "attachment" is used a lot in parenting magazines and often comes up in discussions among parents. Of course, all of us have some notion of what the parent-child attachment is all about, but in child psychology theory and research "attachment" has a very specific meaning. In fact, a whole line of research has developed focused solely on attachment theory. So I thought I'd offer a little background on what psychologist mean when they discuss attachment. The academic understanding of attachment was developed primarily by two psychologists--John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. Bowlby became interested in parent-child attachments in post-World War II Europe after he saw the distress and...
Now That My Child is 5, Do I Change My Parenting Methods?
Parents can breathe a little sigh of relief as their child grows into the five to six year old age group. All those behaviors and rules you have been teaching your child since birth are engrained into their minds and the five year old child is finally able to make real behavior decisions. Obviously, your role as parenting does not stop, but it does evolve somewhat. Your five year old has a much larger vocabulary and will be able to express their feeling with words rather than actions. An occasional tantrum is not unheard of for this age group, but it is certainly not as often. Now that the child can listen, speak and have learned the ropes, what is the next step in parenting? The same parenting...
Nanny Techniques For Super Families
If you haven't seen the British inspired 'Supernanny' on ABC then you are missing out on one of the nation's new favorites in home improvement shows. This show won't tell you how to create a floral centerpiece or decorate with zebra stripes, but it IS teaching families to bring order to chaotic homes by setting the stage for new parenting techniques. Actually, British Nanny, Jo Frost, who is the star of the show is doing anything BUT new parenting. She actually encourages parents to stick to the old time rules of discipline, consistency and creating boundaries. Although there is a noticeable absence of any physical punishment, the firm rules that are put in place work apparent miracles on unruly...
Parenting Children With ADHD
Many people do not understand what it is like to be the parent of a child with ADHD, also known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It's not uncommon for people to blame the disorder on bad parenting skills and fail to realize that it is a medical condition that the child and the parents have no control over. For many parents it can be exhausting to have a child that is constantly active and unable to focus and concentrate on different tasks. Fortunately, there are things parents can do to help them keep calm and deal with the many challenges parenting can present to them. Here are some tips for Parenting Children with ADHD: 1. Stay Calm: It is easy to lose your temper with your child...
Do's and Don'ts in Parenting - Coping With Difficult Children
As parents we are faced with childhood disorders (like ADHD) which other generations never even had to face. These disabilities create a crisis between children and parents and often the quality of the attachment is affected in a negative way. You may have to face the fact that your child has ADHD and you will need help for ADHD. Whatever the situation parenting techniques will always stand you in good stead. Child abuse and neglect are often a result of poor parenting techniques especially where exasperated parents go overboard and the results are dramatic for all concerned. Parents are desperately trying to learn techniques which will be effective and save them an expensive trip to a child...
7 Suggestions For 'Sibling Rivalry' - Discouraging Group Mentality & Encouraging Independence
What should you do when your children fight and argue? Well, when it is not violent or not threatening surprisingly enough its recommended that you do nothing. However, my opinion is that this is optional. These are only some 'suggestions' for sibling rivalry but they are professional recommendations. They also do seem to fit the bill for discouraging group mentality and encouraging independence. Self confidence plays a major role in this particular endeavor. Meaning its a benefit you pass on to your children by utilizing these guidelines. These are recommendations from several reliable psychologists reviews, only in my own words. They are guidelines for raising confident, independent, and happy...
Parenting and Teaching the Five C's
Structure is an integral part of any successful system. Most certainly a family is a system. While children do not come with their own instruction manuals, addressing parenting concerns in a systematic fashion allows parents to be far more effective. There are five C's to parent effectiveness: Confidence; Competence; Compassion; Committedness; and Connectedness. All areas of parental concern, whether being a potential problem area or a value parents wish to impart to their children, can be categorized in one of the five C's. In this manner parenting remains at a conscious level in a structured form. Confidence- Confidence is important to an individual because it lays the groundwork for anything...
Parenting Styles For Parents of Teenagers
As I mention in many of my articles, being the parent of a teenager can be like walking a fine line at all times. It is a constant balancing act between wanting to protect your teen from bad decisions and harm and wanting them to make their own decisions and live with the consequences of these decisions. Obviously when your children are younger you can control much more of what goes on in their lives. You can better control their environment and they are very open to your making a lot of their decisions for them. This is clearly not the case with teenagers. In this article, I will review four parenting styles described in the book Love and Logic. The first three are often used by parents of...
Locking ADHD kids up as part of a consequences program is just not a good idea. Forcing them into detention indoors is counterproductive. But getting them to do a physical activity as part of the consequence is a very good idea. In fact, any physical activity is one of the most effective ADHD treatments out there. It may have to be combined with some medication and a behavior therapy program, though. There are two main reasons why physical exercise can be really an integral part of ADHD treatments. First, it releases a whole lot of elements which stimulate the brain. There is one which is of particular importance and that is the BDNF (the brain-derived neurotropic factor). That is so important in...
Effective Parents Need Two Qualities
There is a great deal conspiring against parents to raise healthy, well-adjusted children. hildhood is shrinking in a social sense, free play is not valued and children are targeted commercially in ways that are not always in their best interests. Parents could do with some moral support, as it were, from schools and other organisations as well as information and education on a range of child-related issues. There are two qualities that are essential to modern effective parenting? They are: 1.Courage: Parents need courage to swim against the tide. It's not easy to stand up to pester power of children and withstand the pressure exerted by peers and media to raise children in certain ways. If you come...
Discipline For Kids
Teaching your child discipline is all about two things; Consistency and Clearly defined priorities. Both of these foundations for discipline must come from the parents or other prominent adult figures in your child's life. In other words, developing discipline in children is a family responsibility and will require an effort on everybody's behalf. Your child's behavior will not change, unless your behavior changes. Most parents have only a vague idea of what their child's priorities should be. Before approaching your child to begin the process of teaching discipline or changing their behavior, sit down with your spouse and any other adults that frequently interact with your child, and clearly write...
Military Parents - Top 4 Tips For Discipline
For military parents, "Parenting can be challenging" doesn't even scratch the surface when it comes to daily struggles with discipline. Raising a child requires many types of parenting skills. Perhaps the most important, is to train and educate a child to become responsible and to learn appropriate ways to behave. We call it discipline, but in it's raw form, it is simply our reactions to our children's choices. Here are my top 4 tips for military parents when disciplining your child:o Be Positive! Positive discipline is the art of making sure that you are disciplining the behavior and not the child. What you want to avoid here is the urge to say hurtful and negative things such as "You're stupid" or...
Does Your Child Have ADD Symptoms and You're Not Sure What to Do?
Do you think that your child may be experiencing ADD symptoms? Well let's examine add. ADD stands for attention deficit disorder. It is described as a childhood condition, characterized by a short attention span, often accompanied by hyperactivity and behavior that is disruptive. If left untreated it can have serious effects on a child's abilities to learn. ADD symptoms may include an inability to sit still or difficulties remaining seated, difficulties following directions, difficulties remaining focused on tasks, talking too much and interrupting when others are speaking, being forgetful and not listening. These symptoms may seem like normal childhood behavior and can often be mistaken as such...
Teen Drug and Alcohol Abuse and Addiction, Signs and Treatments
The teenage years are among the toughest, so many changes and discoveries. Try to remember your teenage years while dealing with your teenager. Drugs and alcohol are a situation that all teens face and most will experiment. Wondering whether or not your teen is abusing drugs or alcohol can be stressful. If you think your teen may be experimenting with drugs and alcohol but don't know how to deal with it, the first thing to do is make sure this is the problem your teen is facing. Some signs that your teen may be experimenting with drugs and alcohol include: ~Dramatic Mood Swings~ Teenagers all have normal mood swings. But look for more dramatic changes -- like happy and full of energy one minute and...
Factors in Determining Physical Custody
If you're going through a divorce and you have children, the chances are good that they are your biggest concern throughout the proceedings. After all, you want to be a good parent, and you want what's best for them. And you want them to be as large a part of your life as possible. You may even be concerned about whether you or your spouse will be getting custody of the children. It's understandable to be worried. There are a lot of factors that go into determining which spouse will wind up being the custodial parent of the children. But first, it's important to understand the two types of custody, how they differ, and what your rights are. When people talk about having custody of the kids, they're...
Science Project Idea for 4th Grade Student
Here is a science project idea. Children in elementary school such as 4th through 6th grades would be able to do this as well as middles school 7th and 8th grade students. In this science project you will determine which substance has the most acid in it to clean tarnish off of coins. Items you will need for the project: - 8 cups - 8 tarnished copper pennies - Tomato juice - Lemon juice - Vinegar - Window cleaner - A household cleaner like simple green or fantastic - Ammonia - Toothpaste - Baking soda - Paper towels - Graph paper For this experiment you will determine from the constant, the tarnished copper penny, which of the liquids or materials removes tarnish the best. Line up your glasses in a...
How to Write a Letter to Santa Claus
Children love to write letters to Santa Claus. Usually parents lend a hand. How should a parent help a child write a letter to Santa Claus? Here are some tips that will make your child's letter to Santa more than just a list of gifts he or she wants. Dear Santa......... First of all, a letter to Santa should be a personal message from your child to Santa Claus, not to a parent or grandparent. The child's own words should be used and his or her personality should shine through. Very young children ages 2 to 5 can draw or cut out pictures to show gifts they want for the holidays. The parent can write down words just as the child says them. Encourage your child to watch as you print and say the...
A Guide to Getting Single Mother Financial Assistance
We've all heard how difficult it is for single mothers to make ends meet. It's true that in terms of financial ability, single mothers are usually on the lower end of the scale. It's very rare to find moms who are raising families alone to be doing well financially. This is especially true for young single mothers. Because single mothers are often in a position where they simply cannot get the help they need on their own, they have to look at getting some help from someone else. There is help available, but you just have to look for it in the right places. I suggest you start your search using the search engines and look at what sort of single parent help websites you can find. These websites will...
5 Tips for Coaching 8U Softball
Work within an 8U Attention Span Players at the 8U level can get bored and distracted very easily. Keep them involved by splitting them up into smaller groups. Have coaches work with as few players as possible so that there is minimal standing in line time. If you don't mind parent help, ask parents to come out and help roll grounders, throw fly balls, or take care of other simple tasks. This can help move practice along and keep groups or stations small. Everyone is Involved Strive to have your players understand that even if it's not their turn, you expect them to be involved and pay attention. Explain that they can learn by watching their teammates do drills. They can also help their...
Marriage Seperation - A Practical Guide
Finance in marriage seperation is a very big issue particularly with regards to the mortgage and household bills. When marriage seperation is inevitable obviously both parties need somewhere to stay and often it can be quite difficult to sell one property and then try to finance two. Some couples agree to keep the existing property going and one partner move out into rented accommodation for a trial marriage seperation period. This then gives each partner time to reflect and decide what may be better for both parties. However, both parties in marriage seperation have to live and are sometimes eligible for single parent help should they have children. This, together with child maintenance...
Develop A Gifted Child
In order to raise a gifted child, first of all it starts with you - Yes, you as the parent, the main caregiver of the child. This is because you will be the one largely influencing and creating the right environment to develop your baby into a gifted child - genius. Contrary to popular belief, a genius is not necessarily "born" with a genius mind. A baby's brain, without any external stimuli, degenerates over time. According to Theva Nithy in his book "Your Child Your Genius", a baby is born with about 12 billion brain cells. In the average child, by the age of 12, only 6 billion cells are left. Imagine what this "average" child could become if he was given the opportunity to develop all the 12...