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

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

Parents are the external regulator for kids who cannot regulate themselves.

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

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

The best inheritance  parents can give their children is a few minutes of their time each day.

Good parenting requires sacrifice. Childhood lasts for only a few brief years , but it should be given priority while it is passing before your eyes

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.

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.

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Challenges Parents of Some Teens Face

 

 

My previous  2 blog entries highlighted positive research finding by Canadian sociologist Reginald Bibby. Unfortunately not all teens fit his description. Below is a list of concerns that parents share with me:

  • disrespectful attitude
  • self absorbed
  • lazy & careless about responsibilities
  • negative attitude toward life and school
  • emotionally withdrawn & distant
  • picks friends who you disapprove
  • angry outbursts for little reason
  • lacks motivation for school
  • neglects chores
  • moody
  • mean to siblings
  • detaches from family events
  • lies and is deceptive about activities
  • physically aggressive
  • skips school
  • substance abuse
  • arguments re: internet, cell phones, etc.
  • sexual activity

If parenting was going to be easy – it wouldn’t have started with something called “labour”

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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

“Implementing Rick’s techniques and adhering to them is exhausting, but it is a healthy exhaustion rather than the detrimental exhaustion I used to experience.”

(B.F. – Woodstock)