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"Moody" and "unpredictable" are adjectives parents will often use when referring to their teenagers.

Parenting style matters - a lot!

If there is no relationship - nothing else matters !

The mistake that Sharon and I both made is we never set any boundaries.  (Ozzy Osbourne)

Many clinicians find it easier to tell parents their child has a brain-based disorder than suggest parenting changes. Jennifer Harris (psychiatrist)

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.

Children mimic well. They catch what they see better than they follow what they hear.

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

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

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

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Temper Tantrums

 

 

 

 

“Temper tantrums come in all shapes and sizes, various decibel levels , and a myriad of duration spans. There are vertical temper tantrums, characterized by foot stomping and yelling; horizontal tantrums, in which the child beats or flails arms and legs in furious motions; and total body tantrums, where the child begins screeching in a vertical stance, then dashes herself to the floor and beats hands and feet in a synchronized chaos of jerks and thuds.

Whatever method the child chooses, there are several truisms regarding tantrums:

1. they happen to everyone

2. they are a predictable part of a child’s development

3. they are  unpredictable as to specific time , place and cause

4. the underlying cause may be as minor as a mother’s denial of a second piece of cake or as major as deciding from

which side of the car to exit

5. the length of tantrum endurance of the tantrummer (child) always far exceeds that of the tantrummee (parent)

Most tantrums from young children occur for the following reason. The child, usually beginning at about 2 years old, is beginning to learn the skills (and the difficulties) of decision making. And he is beginning to sense and assert a little spark inside that flickers with that wonderful feeling of independence. This, in itself, makes not getting one’s way extremely unnerving to the child. But he’s not verbal yet, rather, a physical being in everything he does. Thus we have the tantrum – an effective way to let emotions loose, vent all frustration, and shout “I’m me!” all at the same time.

“That’s fine,” we parents say. We understand. If understanding is the first plateau of tantrum solving, then the second is a veritable Mt. Everest. We still have to live through it.”       (source unknown)

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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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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 were so naive. We thought our son’s poor behaviour was just a phase he was passing through. Thankfully you led us ‘out of the wilderness'”

(N.S. – London)