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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.

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

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

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.

Parenting style matters - a lot!

A tantruming toddler is a little ball of writhing muscle and incredible strength. It's like trying to carry a greased pig past a slop bucket.

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

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

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

Wouldn't it be nice if children would simply listen and learn.

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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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+ 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

“We are foster parents who took in a 13 year old girl (going on 18!) and she ran us through the wringer. Rick helped us learn how to set limits that made the difference.”

(G.E. – Strathroy)