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

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.

If there is no relationship - nothing else matters !

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

If you (parents) tend to overreact to your child's misbehaviour - your child learns that he can't trust you. Mom, Dad, stay regulated!

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My Kid Won’t Go to Sleep!

 

 

 

 

I frequently receive phone calls from parents who tell me their child will not go to sleep. Typically these are parents of children under 4 years old who tell me their child does not fall asleep readily at night and/or wakes repeatedly during the night. The parents are tired, frustrated and often angry. Their own relationship has become tense and they are wondering whether there is something wrong with their child or if they are poor parents.

In most cases the parents have had lots of advice on how to handle the situation from friends, relatives and even the paediatrician. “Let him cry, you’re just spoiling him” or “That’s just a phase, he’ll grow out of it.”

There is hope. In most cases we are able to at least reduce the problem significantly and in some cases eliminate entirely. Give me a call when you get to the “end of your rope.”

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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

“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)