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If it  was going to be easy to raise kids, it never would have started with something called "labour".

"The thing that impresses me most about North America is the way parents obey their children"    (King Edward VII , 1841-1910)

Relationships matter:  change comes through forming trusting relationships. People, not programs change people.

We should not medicate the boys so they fit the school; we should change the school to fit the boy. (Leonard Sax, M.D. Ph.D)

"Parents aren't the cause of ADHD, but they are part of the solution." (Kenny Handleman, M.D.)

Parenting style matters - a lot!

"To be a man, a boy must see a man."  (J.R. Moehringer)

Children do not develop on their own - they only develop within relationships.

It is what we say and do when we're angry that creates the very model our children will follow when dealing with their own frustrations.

Whining and crying are employed by kids for the purpose of getting something. If it works, then it was worth the effort and will be repeated.

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Neural Plasticity of the Prepubescent Brain

A normal 5 year old child has little difficulty learning and fluently speaking a foreign language. Learning new physical skills such as riding a bike or skiing can be achieved with relative ease during early childhood. After puberty , acquiring new skills will probably not be as easy because the areas of the brain associated with these types of skills becomes more rigid, not as plastic.

The “post pubescent” brain, undergoes a rewiring of its circuitry that makes it possible to perform more abstract thinking skills and an ability to consider alternative viewpoints. This rewiring of the brain is not complete until the mid to late 20’s. A young child’s brain is better able to learn some types of skills than an older brain while the older brain is better able to perform more complex adult type thinking. There is no better time to begin music lessons than before puberty. It only gets harder once the brain has developed past those early years.

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Workshops

+ Behaviour Management (now available online)

This full day or 2 evening workshop will introduce you […]

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+ Lick Your Kids

  “Lick Your Kids” (figuratively not literally) (2 hours) First […]

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+ A Parent’s Guide to the Teenage Brain

  A teenager’s brain is not just an adult brain […]

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+ Reading Rescue

A program for children with reading problems

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+ Taming a Toddler

Many parents wonder what hit them when their sweet little baby turns into an unreasonable toddler – ideas for dealing with mealtime, bedtime, temper tanturms, toilet training, noncompliance, etc.

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See more of our workshops


Contact

2720 Rath Street, Putnam, Ontario
NOL 2BO

Phone: (519) 485-4678
Fax: (519) 485-0281

Email: info@rickharper.ca

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Parents' Comments

“We are foster parents who took in a 13 year old girl (going on 18!) and she ran us through the wringer. Rick helped us learn how to set limits that made the difference.”

(G.E. – Strathroy)