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Parenting style matters - a lot!

You cannot reason with someone who is being unreasonable.

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

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

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

Children do not develop on their own - they only develop within relationships.

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.

"The thing that impresses me most about North America is the way parents obey their children"    (King Edward VII , 1841-1910)

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

"Unexpressed feeling never die. They are buried alive and come back later in ugly ways." (Stephen Covey)

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MOM

 

Before I Was a Mom (author unknown)

Before I was a Mom, I never thought about immunizations.

I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

Before I was a Mom, I never had been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I slept all night.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

Before I was a Mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to put it down.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late at night watching a baby sleep

I had complete control of my mind and thoughts.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn’t stop the hurt.

I never know that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

Before I was a mom, I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn’t know that bond between a mother and a child.

I didn’t know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was OK.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the  heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

And before I was a Grandma, I didn’t know that all those “Mom” feelings more than doubled when you see that little bundle being held by “your baby”.

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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

“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)