ScottCounseling

Helping your teen learn to become accountable for their behavior is important. One methods that can be used to accomplish this goal it to put together a Teen Family Contract. The purpose of any contract is to establish some formal understanding of a desired outcome. Establishing a Teen family Contract will bring about a purposeful understanding that may be referred to often when problem arise and clarification of rules, boundaries and desired outcomes need to be re-examined for the welfare of the teen and family members.

Purpose of a Teen Family Contract

A Teen Family Contract is a written set of expectations that adults have of their teens. The contract includes basic rules, consequences and privileges.

Teen Family Contract… Continue Reading

Part of parenting and raising a child in a world that includes harsh and sometimes traumatic situations, involves preparation. A child’s development should include a parent’s recognition and prepared reaction that will assist the child and family during trauma. Dr. Caron Goode’s article, “Helping Children Cope with Trauma,” provides insights and solutions for parents who want to know what to do before a trauma occurs and how to help a child cope with the situation.

Helping Children Cope with Trauma

Whether a personal trauma or a national tragedy, like the one we have recently endured, our children suffer. Whether their suffering manifests as overt misbehavior or in quiet reticence, we can help… Continue Reading

Learning to relax is a key parenting technique that has to be practiced daily. Author Tracey Liebmann provides some helpful hints for parents to learn, practice and hopefully improve upon for continual growth in parenting skills and techniques.

Zen & The Art of Parenting

I have been considering the whole idea of meditation and how many times I have heard, “I can get about 2 minutes alone per day, if I’m lucky.” Meditation to a mom is like having a quiet moment in the bathroom. I know the feeling, it’s challenging trying to have a meditation practice that looks anything like what the books or spiritual gurus describe if you’re a busy parent. Many of use just give up on the… Continue Reading

Stress-Free Parenting

Parenting children can be stressful. Your first and primary role as a parent is to take care of yourself. Without you, your children can not be successful. Many parents miss this important facet of parenting. Child development experts often make it a point to encourage parents to reduce their levels of stress by providing helpful tips. Author Kim Toth is one parenting and child development experts that provides helpful considerations that most parents can apply to create a stress-free parenting lifestyle.

21 Tips To Reduce Your Parenting Stress
1. Determine your own identity within your job. You are not your job. Be yourself whether between he hours of 8:00 am and 5:00… Continue Reading

We love our own children and we ant them to be happy. To demonstrate our love we listen to them, help them with their homework, encourage them to participate in activities and, yes, give them “things” that they want. Parents, by law, must provide food and shelter. It is our role to make sure that our children attend school and follow curfew and other city and state ordinances. But, what about providing ipods, cell phones, cars and spending money. Are we really obligated to buy our child’s clothes at mall department stores where jeans often cost more than $70? Should we allow our child to participate in any activities that they desire at an… Continue Reading

Do you have a demanding child?

It’s not unusual for Children to begin to make some kind of demanding remarks between the ages of two and four years of age. This behavior is often a test given by a child to test parent limits and boundaries. Children who are demanding often are seeking control or may be facing some stress in their life. Parents who avoid stopping a child’s inappropriate demands… Continue Reading

This article will help you explore what you and others in your life may be going through. We the people, who live in the United States, are often poorly prepared to deal with a loss. We seldom, if ever, discuss the inevitable death that will take place for all living creatures. We don’t begin to think about loosing a job, a friend, a pet or other tangible items until they are no longer with us. Loss is a personal and can be a complicated event. Feelings range from heartfelt hurt to extreme anger. No feeling is unusual or uncommon. Pain, grief and suffering are the most common feelings when one experiences a loss. Loss often affects… Continue Reading