welcome image

The teenage years require a delicate balance between the young person's need to gain independence, and the parent's need to retain authority.

The challenge of adolescence is to balance the right of the parents to feel they are in charge with the need of the adolescent to gain independence.

Adolescence can be the cruelest place on earth. It can really be heartless.  ( Tori Amos)

There has been an explosion in the prescribing of medication for very young children, particularly preschool and kindergarten boys (Juli Zito , Univ. of Maryland)

Don't wait for him to turn 10 before you reveal that you are not in fact the hired help whose job it is to clean up after him.

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.

Criticism is not a motivator.

Being a parent of a teenager can cure a person of narcissism.

If you (parents) tend to overreact to your child's misbehaviour - your child learns that he can't trust you. Mom, Dad, stay regulated!

When a child is disregulated - is the time parents need to be regulated.

Learn more.

Types of Temper Tantrums

There are 2 types of tantrums: manipulative (child is trying to get his own way – conscious, planned, controlled) temperamental (child can’t help it – he is truly “out of control”) Both types can look the same and one form can lead into another. A temperamental tantrum acquires a manipulative quality when the child comes to understand the value of what he’s is doing. Guidelines to Help Distinguish the Two Types the manipulative tantrum is […]

Read complete blog post

ADHD

    Some children can’t sit still. They appear distracted by every little thing and don’t seem to learn from their mistakes. These children disregard rules, even when they are punished repeatedly. They tend to act without thinking, and this results in many accidents and reprimands. ADHD is one of the most common reasons children are referred to mental health professionals. Every classroom in the country probably has several children with ADHD. Raising any child […]

Read complete blog post

Mom, Dad, think before you act!

    It is easier to stop difficult behaviour before it becomes entrenched. You should be very skeptical of the phrase “I’m just going to do this once” when it pops into your head in moments of parenting stress. Frankly, whatever you’re thinking of doing, you’re unlikely to do it only once. So unless you’re prepared to spend hundreds of hours in a car with your baby, don’t use a car ride to put your […]

Read complete blog post

Anger

I find this quote from Gary Chapman intriguing as it relates to temper tantrums and the importance of handling them in a wise fashion. “It may surprise you that the primary lifetime threat to your child is his or her own anger. If your child does not handle his own anger well, it will damage or destroy him. The mishandling of anger is related to every present and future problem your child may have – […]

Read complete blog post

Teen Issues # 3

  Every teenager rebels against authority at some point – talks back, breaks curfew or disobeys. It goes with the territory – it’s normal development. But many teens go beyond normal adolescent rebellion to engage in out-or-control or dangerous behaviour. If one of those teens is yours, you’ve probably lived through years of conflicting advice and pat solutions that haven’t led to lasting change. One source that I have found useful in assisting parents is […]

Read complete blog post




Back to Top

Workshops

+ Behaviour Management (now available online)

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

Learn more

+ Lick Your Kids

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

Learn more

+ A Parent’s Guide to the Teenage Brain

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

Learn more

+ Reading Rescue

A program for children with reading problems

Learn more

+ 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.

Learn more

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

Archive


Parents' Comments

“Our daughter was the joy of our life until she turned 13, then all hell broke loose. Rick helped us understand what was happening to her and we made some adjustments that helped us get through it. She’s now in University and doing well.”

(D.A. – St. Thomas)