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

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

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

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 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.

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.

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

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

"Parents aren't the cause of ADHD, but they are part of the solution." (Kenny Handleman, M.D.)

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

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Teen Issues 2

The good old days when you were a teen aren’t as different today as you think. For example, between 1978 and 2008 the average age for drinking alcohol for the first time went from 16.3 years of age  to 16.2 the age for smoking the first cigarette went from 15.2 years to 16.1 the age for smoking marijuana for the first time went from 18.4 years to 17.2 in 1991, 54 percent of high school […]

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Crash Test Mommy / Daddy in Aylmer

I will once again be presenting a workshop to the parents of Davenport Public School in Aylmer. This time it is  “Crash Test Mommy / Daddy” and it is a  2 hour presentation that is filled with sanity saving strategies to deal with behaviour issues of children ranging in age from toddlers to teens. Date:   February 5, 2013 Time:  6:30 – 8:30 PM Place: Davenport Public School 80 Rutherford Ave. Aylmer, Ontario (519) 773-9216 […]

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Child & Youth Worker – Fanshawe College

I am looking forward to the upcoming semester starting January 7  as Fanshawe College (Woodstock campus) begins  its CWY program for 2013. I am privileged to teach the course “Fundamentals of Human Learning” to the first year students. This program is a 3 year diploma program that prepares students to work with young people in schools, group homes, detention centres and day care centres. Three semesters are devoted to academic work at the college and […]

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Foster Parent Training in Hamilton

I had an opportunity to present the workshop “Taming a Toddler” to an enthusiastic group of foster and adoptive parents in Hamilton last night. Did you know that parents of toddlers are 3 times more at risk of psychological breakdown than parents of babies or school age children. The toddler stage (age 1-4) is the time that we see the beginning of “control” development: – bodily functions (toilet) – impulse (demands cannot be met instantly) […]

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Taming a Toddler – Hamilton CAS

I extend thanks to Sandra Chan of the Hamilton Children’s Aid Society for inviting me to present “Taming a Toddler” to an enthusiastic group of foster moms. We shared many ideas and laughs about the joys and challenges of raising a toddler. The Hamilton CAS has well over 100 foster homes who provide for the needs of children in care . Fostering is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have. It certainly is […]

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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

“He is a wealth of knowledge coupled with first hand experience.”

(E.K. – London)