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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.

"Cutting" is a visible sign to the world that you are hurting.

Children fare better when expectations on them are clear and firm.

You cannot reason with someone who is being unreasonable.

Criticism is not a motivator.

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.

"Rules without relationship leads to rebellion" (Josh McDowell)

Some hope their children will be like sponges soaking up the truth and wisdom imparted by their parents. However appealing this philosophy might be, it seldom seems to catch on with their children.

If you are headed in the wrong direction as a parent - you are allowed to make a U-turn.

Removing a child from a traumatic environment does not remove the trauma from the child's memory.

Learn more.

Book launch – “The Promise” – a must read for foster/adoptive parents

I had the privilege of attending the launch of a new book that should be read by all adoptive and foster parents (actually all parents). Written by an adoptive mother (Christen Shepherd) and a support worker (Lisa Highfield), this book deals with the arrival of 4 needy children into the Shepherd home and chronicles their story from chaos to hope.

A paragraph written by Christen near the end of the book is worth sharing here and will hopefully encourage you to get a copy and read it: “There are no certainties in all of this (adoption) – but one. I can truly now say after crawling through the trenches of parenting four traumatized children, after being utterly broken open and broken down by the emotional and physical demands, after using every last bit of strength to keep moving forward, in holding fast to our relationships with our two biological sons, and in fighting not only to hold onto myself but also to get to know myself so much more deeply, I am glad we did this. I am glad we made the promise of a family to our children. It was the right thing to do. It was what we were meant to do.”

Adoption is not an easy road to pass down. Lucy Maud Montgomery’s literary classic about the bright, eager to please, imaginative Anne is not what adoption always looks like. Christen and Lisa share from their heart what it looked like to them – the good , the bad and the ugly. Truly an inspiring read.

 

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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

“I am no longer overwhelmed with a child who has unending discipline and behaviour problems.”

(P.S. – London)