3 Steps to Balance in Parenting Kids with ADHD
Many of us seem to be struggling with finding balance in parenting kids with ADHD and other challenges – more and more these days. Sometimes, balance as a parent seems out of reach, maybe even impossible. But it’s actually closer than you think – especially when you consider that balance is a process, not a…
Read MoreTeaching Self-Control to ADHD Kids, One Structure at a Time
You Know What Temptation Is Like You walk into your favorite coffee shop for a cup – black, no cream, no sugar. You’re trying to rein in your calorie intake. But then you spot them. Fresh, warm chocolate chip cookies. The aroma is wafting towards you, enticing with its promise of comfort. But no! You…
Read MoreThis Too Shall Pass
I wear a pendant around my neck that gets me through everything. A quote from the Song of Solomon, in English it translates to, “This Too Shall Pass.” At times, my necklace gets me through the really hard stuff, a reminder that I can endure great challenge. If I could survive a 30 hour labor,…
Read MoreIt’s Your Fault
I recently had a conversation with a client about her son. She explained, “that child blames everyone else when he gets upset.” You’ve probably heard it before: someone gets angry and lashes out, blaming it on the first person they see: “It’s Your Fault!” It’s hard not to worry when a child doesn’t take responsibility…
Read MoreRedirecting Your Child with ADHD Without Judgment
The Power of Judgment Judgment is a challenging concept. On the one hand, it makes our lives easier. We use judgment to guide us in our lives every day. We reflexively categorize our experiences into good, bad, and neutral, and that leads us to certain behaviors and decisions. But, as Dr. Mark Bertin explains in…
Read MoreParenting an ADHD Teen: How It Really Works
A Classic Tale My ADHD teen son agreed to do one week of conditioning camp with the cross-country team to get ready to try out for the (much cooler, much sexier) basketball team later in the year. By day 3 in the week, cross-country has been kicking my son’s butt. Five minutes before it was…
Read MoreI’m a Recovering Perfectionist – Want to Join Me?
Failure Fosters Growth As a perfectionist in recovery, there are no 12 steps in my program. It was developed while managing the challenges of parenting complex children and founded on the tenet that failure is as excellent a teacher as success. In my home, growing up, I did not believe that failure was an option,…
Read MoreHoliday Routine: The Gift that Keeps on Giving
Ever play Jenga? You build a tower of wooden blocks, and then players take turns removing one block from the middle and putting it on top. Eventually, someone removes the one that makes it all topple over. That, in a nutshell, is ADHD kids and school vacation! Want to play – and win?! Keeping Your…
Read MoreHoliday “Gift-Obsession” and Managing Expectations
The holidays tend to magnify everything: the streets and houses get more beautiful with lights and decorations; neighbors get cheerier; lattes get spicier… the nights get later, time gets shorter, gift lists get longer, stores get busier… the list goes on. So how do you manage things when holiday gift expectations get magnified, too? With…
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