If you are a parent of a toddler or preschooler, then it is very likely that you have experienced the behaviors commonly referred to as “tantrums” or “meltdowns.” When your sweetie falls down, kicking, screaming, hitting, crying, etc. as a result of a seemingly minor conflict or even no recognizable conflict at all, is this normal? [...]
Welcome back to the fourth and final installment of this series discussing parenting and children's behavior. The first installment discussed why it is helpful to make this change and provided ways to provide more of that positive attention. The second installment discussed how to combine active ignoring with positive attention to replace unwanted behaviors with [...]
To help raise safety awareness, this article will discuss safety topics and concerns as they apply to children and adolescents. Awareness efforts often focus on ways to reduce unintentional injury. These efforts are important for children as well. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), unintentional injury is the leading [...]
What is Depression? And What Does it Look Like in Children? This article will briefly explore one of the more common mental health concerns for children today – depression. According to the CDC, approximately 3.2% (1.9 million) of children aged 3-17 have been diagnosed with depression. That makes depression an important area for [...]
What You Need To Know About Children's Mental Health May is National Mental Health Month, which means that many relevant organizations focus on increasing awareness of various important facets of mental health through media, events, services, etc. The purpose of this article is to embrace National Mental Health Month by attempting to [...]
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 [...]
Let Ice Cream Work Its Magic By Jerilyn Swalve-Wasson July is National Ice Cream month. Can you think of a better dessert for Arkansas in July then ice cream?! Ice cream has always been extra special to me and not just because I could eat it by the gallons. Growing up, my dad and I would [...]
