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

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.

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

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.

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

Setting limits teaches your children valuable skills they will use the rest of their lives. One day, they will report to a job where their ability to follow rules will dictate their success.

Hurt people hurt people.

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

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

The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice. (Peggy O'Mara)

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FASD – 4 Bad Things That Can Happen

Four bad things can happen to a developing baby exposed to alcohol in utero: – functional deficits – growth deficiency – malformation – death Full blown FASD is only the “tip of the iceberg”. The largest  part of the iceberg is comprised of those individuals who appear “normal” but are unable to meet their potential. In previous years these individuals may have been diagnosed as having FAE (Fetal Alcohol Effect). FAE is a term that […]

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Kashechewan

A big thank you to the staff at St. Andrew’s School in Kashechewan for your kindness and the opportunity to share ideas about behaviour management. Kashechewan is a First Nations community of about 2,500 people in Canada’s subarctic. It is situated near the mouth of the Albany River on James Bay.

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Columbine High School

COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL 1999 – the two perpetrators (both committed suicide)                                     – one was being treated for psychiatric disorder                                     – both in trouble with the law                                     – both were socially isolated “losers”                                     – both had been bullied                                     – both enduring pain This was a big story in 1999 but it is not the biggest story – most teens suffer alone, invisibly and their eventual suicides never make to TV news […]

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The Good News About Temper Tantrums

children usually outgrow them they are a normal part of development they are vehicles which teach children: how to cope with frustration – how to problem solve – communication skills 4. there are a number of strategies parents can use to teach these skills and numerous ideas about preventing them WARNING – the parent’s understanding about tantrums and their appropriate response to one is critical for the healthy development of children. How do tantrums make […]

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Where to begin looking for help

What options does a parent have when seeking help for their child’s behaviour problems? Parents who ask for my help have usually experienced many of the following emotions: frustration misunderstood confused overwhelmed exhausted bewildered angry guilty inadequate isolated vulnerable trapped embarrassed helpless hopeless This is not a fun place for a parent to be and not a healthy place for a child to grow. I am not usually the first person that parents ask to […]

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Workshops

+ Behaviour Management (now available online)

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

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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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+ A Guided Tour of ADHD (now available online)

This workshop will present the facts, myths, misconceptions, controversy and […]

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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)