4 Steps to Success When your heart is pounding as you face the days  with children “stuck at home” you know it is much more challenging with a child with RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder) ADHD, ASD, or ODD.  You may want a plan to make it through. I like to find the silver lining and […]

Sharon, a weary mom, shared that she had been told to “Choose her battles” so she had not confronted her daughter about her lying, stealing and disrespect! It had now escalated to neighbors, shops and even the church. She shared that she was told to only pick the battles she could win. Her daughter had […]

It just hurts! When a child approaches a strange woman and bats their eyes while oozing with cuteness  then tell her how beautiful she is, what cute shoes she has, and how she has all the right groceries. Then they throw the big one “Can I go home with you and live forever?” It breaks […]

Passing the 5 Tests for Trust with RAD   Children with RAD, Reactive Attachment Disorder, are searching for a super hero to keep them safe. The key to healing their heart AND their brain is that feeling of safety. They test all adults they are entrusted to. That includes: Parents, Teachers, Therapist, babysitter, Sunday school […]

My friend Tim said, “This week with my daughter has been like living in a firestorm. She keeps creating sparks and embers for me to run and put out.” I can picture that! It is how we live when we have a child with RAD. As parents of these challenging children we are continually putting […]

Master Manipulator. The principal and the school secretary were digging through the school dumpster! They had already sorted through the entire row of cafeteria trash barrels. My child pitifully sniffled nearby observing the slime covered searchers. After a good hour of watching the show, my brilliant cunning son became bored with his game, reached into […]

Hyperactive or Hyper vigilant? Too many children are mis-diagnosed as hyper active with attention deficits when the real problem is hyper vigilance caused by early childhood trauma. How can we tell the difference? When we see useless movement, such as tapping, it fits with the hyperactive label. The body is discharging extra energy. When the […]

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 […]

My friend, Melissa, was visiting from Alaska. She knows how to drive in the snow and is a very capable person so I had no worries when she planned to fly into Denver and drive over the two 11,000 foot high passes to get to our ranch. The rental car folks gave her a car […]

A Powerful Tool to Build Thankfulness Did you know the exact opposite of anxiety is gratitude!? What a healing salve thankfulness is for the heart and the brain! Why do we focus on it one day a year? Let’s crank it up a notch and do it daily. My children did a “feelings journal” in […]