How I Worked with the School to Accommodate My Son’s “Learning Difference”
on Nov 13, 2009 in Homework School AR AR program changing the way my son studies criteria for the course empowering parents greengirl learning difference listening to kids parent blogger working with the school When our son TJ was nearing the end of 7th grade, he had not yet earned any AR*, or “Accelerated Reading” points.  In an attempt to resolve this before the deadline, we created scheduled reading times and reading quantities (number of pa...

Ask PSL: My 19 Year Old is Living at Home — And Lying to Me!
on Nov 12, 2009 in Older Children adult child living at home arguing with child arguing with parents blog consequences for older kids empowering parents james lehman Legacy Publishing Company living at home motivating the unmotivated child no job older child at home older child living at home older child lying parental support line advisor rules for older children total transformation program unemployed child Dear PSL: I am at my wit’s end. I have been trying to get my 19 year old son to get a job for months now. He says he’s trying, but I can’t be sure, as I am not home during the day to supervise him. I also just found out that he has...

A Mom/Teacher Tells It Like It Is: “Two of My Kids Have ADHD — and So Do I.”
on Nov 11, 2009 in ADHD/ADD add ADHD Daycare educator empowering parents guilt melody miracle mother of three parent blogger raising a child with behavior challenges ritalin teacher My name is Melody, and I’m the mother of three children — two of which are diagnosed ADHD, as am I.  I’m excited to begin blogging here on Empowering Parents. Today’s disjointed society separates us from one another, yet through websites...

Is Your Family Watching Too Much TV? (You’re Not Alone!)
on Nov 6, 2009 in Media News annita woz childhood obesity children's tv habits empowering parents kids watching tv nielsen report on television viewing non-violent parent blogger physical activity tv for babies tv watching A Nielsen Co. reports kids are watching more television than ever and television viewing for children ages 2-11 is the highest since 1995.  Kids ages 6-11 watch 28 hours a week with about 4.5 hours on DVD.  And worse, kids age 2-5 are watching 32 h...

Sound off: Should a 6-year-old be Evicted from Her Grandparents’ Home?
on Nov 6, 2009 in News empowering parents fighting to keep granddaughter florida foster care foster home grandchild grandparents jimmy and judy stottler judge's ruling kimberly evicted from grandparents retirement community lago Grandparents in Lagos, Florida are fighting to keep their 6 year-old grand daughter Kimberly from being evicted from their retirement community. They have been caring for Kimberly for five years, since her drug-addicted mother was forced to give up c...

Mom Investigating an Incident: Why Won’t My ADHD Son’s School Give Me Details of His Inappropriate Behavior?
on Nov 6, 2009 in ADHD/ADD Acting-out Behavior School ADHD asperger's syndrome Consequences empowering parents fourth grade hand gestures inappropriate language keeping records of behavior kim stricker new parent blogger school administration teacher I got a call from my son’s teacher last week. Apparently, he used an inappropriate word and perhaps a hand gesture to accompany it to another child. That child’s parent had called the principal. The principal asked my son Builder’s teacher t...

A Tale of Tension: When Our Adult Son Moved Home “Temporarily”
on Oct 30, 2009 in Older Children adult children adult child at home bail out burger king cash for clunkers empowering parents empty nest financial help for adult children Independence kathy pride landlord living at home with adult child parent blogger rent temporarily living at home west coast I have often quipped that middle-aged women and their twenty-something year-old kids don’t belong under the same roof, but the reality of this statement hit home this summer when our son moved back home temporarily. The key word here is “temporar...

Are the Parenting Ghosts of Childhood Past Haunting You?
on Oct 29, 2009 in Life Lessons abuse authoritarian celebrate change different from father different from mother empworing parents ghost of childhood past halloween how to be a better parent james lehman mourning our childhoods neglect Parental Support Line parenting without a map permissive strict strict disciplinarian struggling with the past stuck in the past total transformation program yellers There isn’t any better time than Halloween to pay tribute to the ghosts of our childhood past.  Becoming a parent provides the unique opportunity to revisit these ghosts and see them in a whole new way. What do I mean by this? Many of us strug...

Time to Cry Uncle — When You Suspect Your Child Has ADD or ADHD, It’s Time to Get Help
on Oct 28, 2009 in ADHD/ADD 10 year old boy with add add ADHD cry uncle dr. bob myers Dr. Joan dr. joan simeo munson empowering parents evaluation Medication pediatrician suffering in silence Total Focus Program I have just come from our therapist’s office and am feeling much calmer.  You read that right:  Dr. Joan is in therapy. It all started when my husband and I began struggling, badly, with one of our kids who was displaying signs of Attention Defic...

Is Yelling the New Spanking?
on Oct 23, 2009 in Parenting Skills yelling I’ll admit it — I yell at my son more than I’d like. Take yesterday, for example. We were on our way out the door (it always seems to happen when we’re in a hurry) trying to make it to Alex’s first Parent-Teacher confere...