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

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

Children today are under enormous pressures rarely experienced by their parents or grandparents. Many of today's children are being enticed to grow up too quickly and are encountering challenges for which they are totally unprepared.

It's more effective to reward your child for being "good" (appropriate) than to punish him for being "bad" (inappropriate).

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.

Criticism is not a motivator.

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.

The more 2 parents differ in their approaches to discipline, the more likely it leads to trouble for the child.

Simple rules adhered to when children are young can prevent more serious problems later.

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Separating from Parents

    Being a parent of a teen can cure a person of narcissism. When your child was born, you were the center of  his/her universe. You were special . Now that you have an adolescent, you have become less central. No matter what you do, your teen continues to invest in the outside world more than at home. This is how it should be. Teens slowly move away from their parents physically and  emotionally. […]

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Sad or Depressed – What’s the Difference?

    Sadness is an unpleasant emotion in response to certain events: Examples – loss of a loved one – disappointment in missing a hoped- for opportunity – struggling to adapt to unwelcome changes These and a multitude of other circumstances can result in a process that takes us through a sequence of emotions including worry, anxiety, tears, grieving which ultimately brings us relief. This is a healthy process. Depression is not healthy. Depression occurs […]

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Angry, Hurting Kids Who Swear

    An excerpt from Kirk Martin’s newsletter that is worth passing on: Angry children, kids who curse: what to say to them A sweet grandmother approached me after a workshop one day and asked, “What can we do to get my grandson to stop cursing? He’s got a foul mouth and talks disrespectfully.” This is beyond simple eye rolling and normal teenage attitude. Kids don’t usually use foul or aggressive language unless they have […]

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There’s Something Wrong Here!

  If a child doesn’t know how to read: we teach. If a child doesn’t know how to swim: we teach. If a child doesn’t know how to say “Please” and “Thank you”: we teach. If a child doesn’t know how to behave: we punish. There’s something wrong with this picture !

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The Most Important Job in the World

    Raising a child is the most important job you will ever do. It is challenging, scary, fulfilling, exciting, frustrating – ALL AT THE SAME TIME – Parenting is tough because we have so little training, yet the results are so important. If you’re in sales and you lose a sale, your pay cheque is smaller. If you’re in accounting and the books don’t balance, you stay late to find your error and correct […]

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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

“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)