Posts

Showing posts from April, 2007

7 strategies to protect your Kids from Media Anxiety

Identifying and disarming childhood fears after a major disaster In the midst of a national crisis like the Virginia Tech shooting, many parents are wondering what can be done to protect their kids from the additional stress and anxiety that can come from repeated exposure to the extremely disturbing media footage of the school shooting, dying students and SWAT teams swarming over the campus in Blacksburg, VA. Children and adults can be psychologically affected from repetitive over-exposure to the harsh media footage of the shooter and his violent and hate filled video taped messages to the world. Here are some helpful steps to make sure that your son or daughter is protected from the harmful media images that might create long term anxiety. Watch for the warning signs of media overexposure that can create anxietyHere are some of the symptoms and behaviors that may indicate your child has been overexposed to the traumatic emotions that follow a crisis situation. Remember that your mai

5 Things you must do to protect your kids from school violence By Dwight Bain, Nationally Certified Counselor

School should be a safe place of learning from teachers instead of a scary place where shootings and violence bring emergency workers and grief counselors. The recent number of horrifying acts of violence in schools has everyone concerned, from the President to local school and law enforcement officials. However, the best group to take positive action to protect kids at school is always their parents. Here are five key things you can do to take positive action to help protect your son or daughter from violent situations that could occur at school. 1) Listen to your child’s fears and frustrations Every school has a bully, that’s not a new problem. However these days there are dangerous gangs and violent individuals in or around just about every school environment. Sometimes the violent person comes from the outside, but it’s more likely that threats, harassment, bullying, fights and acts of violence will come from someone on the inside of your child’s school. Students who use weapon

MAKE IT AN UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER!

Your kids know it’s coming. Teachers are counting the seconds of each day. You, as parents, know it’s coming even though you do your best to try to avoid thinking about it. Yes.......it’s true. Summer is on its way. We’re talking beaches, theme parks, swimming, AAU sports, and summer camps of all kinds. For kids, it means sleeping in, being lazy, and ignoring the summer reading list they promised to complete. For many parents, it means worrying about what their kids are doing while they are away at work, yelling at the kids to get out of bed because it’s 7 o’clock.......p.m., or marking off the calendar until the next school year begins. But, summer could be awesome for the whole family. In fact, that is what I want to propose to all of you parents. I want to challenge you to be intentional about making this summer the kind of summer that nobody in the family will ever forget (and I mean in a good way). Wouldn’t it be great to create a summer full of memories that your

Teaching Summertime Social Skills Written by: Lyris Steuber, A Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

Summer is fast approaching and by now your kids probably have a touch of summer fever. They are anxious to get out of school and may have difficulty concentrating on their work. They daydream about going to nearby theme parks, playing all day and perhaps seeing old friends at summer camp. With the flurry of activity that summer brings, it is important for them to continue learning healthy social skills. Social skills are those communication, problem-solving, decision making, self-management, and peer relations abilities that allow one to initiate and maintain positive relationships with others. Deficits in social behavior may interfere with a child’s self-esteem, learning, or social development. A child with good social skills has the self-confidence to say no to peer pressure, has the ability to stand up assertively to bullies, listens well and displays correct manners. If you see that your child may have deficits in these areas, there are many ways you can guide them towards bet

What do Successful Kids really N.E.E.D? - The 4 key strategies of effective parenting

Hundreds of times I’ve been asked questions after talk shows or speaking events about what it takes to set up a child to win at life. Basically people were asking for a step by step guidebook on how to meet the needs of a child, while leading them toward a life of early success instead of long term failure. It’s a great question, but since every child is different and every family has to overcome various challenges at different stages of life, there isn’t a 100% time tested answer to that question. That’s not bad news, it’s just life, but there is some good news if you want a sure bet solution to create strong and healthy kids; which comes from the advice that psychologist James Dobson told me once, “no matter how hard you try, your kids could still break all the rules and break your heart in the process- so stay on your knees and pray hard!” After you pray for them, here's a simple parenting formula that can help you to set your kids up to grow, mature and develop at any stage of

GET A LIFE! FOR REAL.

Before I begin with my topic, let me just say that I am fully aware that I am about to sound like my father used to, telling me about how he had to walk several miles to school, in the snow, by foot, with wild packs of dogs chasing him all the way. Okay, he never said the last part but you know what I mean. Anyway, this is my official disclaimer that I realize that I am going to sound somewhat outdated by the reference to my own childhood that I am about to make. (Sigh).......I can’t help it! I’m bothered by this so I have to get it off of my chest. (I know.....get on with it, Aaron). Here it is.....I remember that, as a young boy in rural Ohio, I would play and play outside until dark and then I would get really upset when I had to go inside. (dramatic pause to let this amazing truth sink in)..................................................................What? You don’t think that is such an interesting fact? Sheesh.........tough crowd. Seriously, we would play wiff