What’s your kryptonite? I was ruminating about it lately and have some ideas and dilemmas but I have DEFINITE PROOF that our children were born to be superheroes! Remember the details of Superman’s early life? He was born on the planet Krypton that was going to blow apart so his loving parents sent ...

Why are our children looking for a super hero? Why is this such a HUGE issue for our kids? Do we have to wear spandex and a cape to qualify?

Children From Trauma Are Looking for Protection

Our challenging children are looking for a protector to keep them safe from whatever happened to them in t...

Patience is Priceless

“Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while  waiting” says Joyce Meyer. Children often struggle with that skill as much as they struggle with self control. They are often impatient and anxious to have what they want or to have their way....

 

Fill your lamp so you can shine your light for others.

Take care of yourself so you can care for others.

Put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping a child with theirs.

Burnout is Effectiveness Terminated

How many different ways do we hear it and yet… It sure is not my best thing! ...

Balancing Needs and Wants

My father often used the phrase “ Thanks a million!” I was reminded of that recently when I was in Oklahoma City with one of my favorite philosophers, Mary Ellen. She is a wise woman. My very favorite philosopher is, of course, Yoda, but Mary Ellen is a close second. I lov...

Lies can become a “Hobby” for a child with RAD.

A typical child will sometimes lie when confronted with misbehavior. A child with RAD, reactive attachment disorder, often enjoys lying so much it becomes “a hobby”. They will tell people they had spaghetti for dinner when they had steak. They will te...

Okay, I admit it, I’m not perfect. Whew, it’s out!

After training over 50,000 parents, teachers, and mental health professionals over the past twenty-five years, I have said a lot of things. Some of the things I have said have been taken out of context and misused to allude to the opposite of what ...

Children need to feel safe.

Many of our children were hurt at night, often in their own bed! Some children laid in their rooms and listened to screaming and fighting as their family was torn apart by hate. Night time is hard for these children. When they have an alarm on their door they know no one...

Where is your “Happiness Meter” set? When your child brushes his teeth, do you go into ‘orbits of joy’? Or, does your child have to be perfect all day to even get you to ‘crack’ a smile? How hard are you to please?! Does your attitude need a ‘check-up from the neck-up’?

We need to set expectations ...

Parenting children that have emotional special needs is very different from parenting children who do not. When we have a new child coming into our home, many of us feel that our love will erase all their early childhood trauma, and fill their heart to overflowing with joy. Unfortunately, that beaut...

An emotionally fragile child needs the same quiet healing environment as a medically fragile child would–one that recently had invasive surgery. A child that has recently had an appendix removed would remain quietly in their bed, or on the couch, without playing baseball or going swimming. A child w...

A Powerful Tool

This amazingly powerful exercise makes such a big difference! I am so excited about all the new brain research and how it is clarifying the healing power of this fantastic, yet simple exercise. We have been using this technique with tremendous success for many years to help emotiona...