Recently I read a wise quote online, “Your child is not giving you a hard time, your child is having a hard time.” The slightest difference in wording reframes a child’s behavior and emotions completely. Often as parents, it is challenging to remember that more is going on with our children than meets the [...]
Does your child have difficulty following directions? Do they seem to forget daily routines, chores, or expectations? Do they appear to just not pay attention to instructions or to the details of a task? Or, do they forget steps to a task you have taught over and over again? Visual schedules and aids may be [...]
Parenting is a never ending adventure that goes through numerous twist and turns; just when you think you have it down pat some monkey wrench comes flying your way. There is no one size fits all for parenting but the idea of purposeful parenting simplifies it for us. Purposeful parenting goes beyond giving your children [...]
Cultivating Positive Relationships Oftentimes as parents, we accept the notion that siblings can not and will not get along, especially in the summer. While some sibling conflict is normal, there are also things parents can do to set a positive tone in the home. Consistent, intentional efforts to cultivate a positive relationship will help children [...]
Making the Most of Summer Part 1 - Strategies for Parents! Children cherish the summer time. They wait all year for the season when they can stay home and play with their friends. For them, summer is a time of exploring, swimming pools, sports, video games, bike riding and no home work! But for parents, [...]
Managing children’s behavior in public is a timeless struggle for parents. Having a child throw a major temper tantrum or act out in a public place, like Wal-Mart or Chili’s, is a horrifying event that most parents experience at least once, if not repeatedly with preschool and elementary children. It does not have to be [...]
Social Media, Internet and Youth: Tips for Parents As mental health professionals, we’ve come to view social media use as a modern developmental task in which all youth should become proficient. Most teens can be taught to use social media responsibly just like most learn to drive responsibly. As with driving, it takes education, supervised [...]
National Safety Month Guest Contributor: Gerald New Husband, Father, & Textbook Seller © Johnkasawa | Dreamstime.com - Bicycle Mountain Bike Safety Helmet Photo June is National Safety Month and when the good people at the Arkansas Families First asked me to write a column on the subject, I jumped at the chance to [...]
Is Your Cell Phone Coming Between You and Your Children? by Adam Benton, Ph.D. and Mary Ekdahl, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologists at Arkansas Families First, LLC. Children, smartphones, and social media have made the news again, but not in the way you might think! This time it is not about the risk of online predators, too [...]
Autism Spectrum Disorder 101 What it Autism Spectrum Disorder? Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors (www.autismspeaks.org). Did you know ... Autism now affects 1 in [...]
