Mom of the Hard Kid

Adoption is hard, but the Ethiopian Folktale: "The Lion's Whiskers" brings a great message for those in the thick of it.

Each kid is different - why not parent them differently?

I interviewed my 12 year-old son on what it is like to be a brother of a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder.

Every once in a while I need to remember I am not always right.

I had an odd run in with a cat's foster mom. It made me realize just how little we need to rely on the criticisms of others. (Not none, but not much).

When your kid can't find friends it can feel devastating. As a parent, we want to protect our children from everything - including that feeling of being left out.

Kid arguments can be exhausting. Some have a built in battery that just runs without stopping. I have an arguer who will fight me on whether the sun is up - here is what I do to stop getting so run down with the fighting.

After an especially unrestful night I've decided we are going to be talking about sleep.

Have you ever wondered what the opposite of ADHD is? Turns out it is Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome.

The BRAIN! Isn't there so much we need to learn about the brain? Let's scratch the surface of our brains by learning about left brain, right brain.

We made it through the holidays...barely.

A short, and to the point, episode on William Danforth's "I Dare You." Every once in a while we need a little dare.

For some, the holidays are a sugarplum dream, for others of us it can be a tantrum-filled hyperactive black hole. Sometimes a good perspective change can be helpful. For both you and your child.

We all know our high needs kids take up a ton of our time, but sometimes we forget the effect that has on our other children.

When you are stressed out of your mind parenting these hard kids - sometimes self reflection is the last thing we want, and the first thing we need.

I had no idea the mind shift this book would have on me. Morrie Schwartz is a real man who had to face the inescapable reality of death, and his words can help you too.

There have been so many studies on how physical activity is beneficial to brain development. It can even increase cognitive function in children and adults! We'll touch on a few of those studies in today's episode.

Luckily ADHD is well known to therapists and teachers alike, but we're adding to your parental knowledge will be beneficial as you walk through life parenting or helping out with an ADHD child.

A must-read for all parents of children with Reactive Attachment Disorder.

Sometimes I get caught in the whirlwind of experiencing the same issues over and over. Some days are just downer days.

Got a teacher who doesn't understand your Reactive Attachment Child? This is the letter for you! Carey McGinn wrote and open letter to teachers of children with reactive attachment disorder, and it is a winner in my book. We'll walk through it.

Some interesting studies on the impact of words on your children.

Don't we really want to have our kids, especially our hard kids, become successful adults? Let them be kids, but raise adults. It only takes 18 years.

Remember what you thought life was going to be like? Ya, me too. Don't worry. The sun will come out again.

While "Bathman" is a cheap way to not get a copywrite violation - I sure wish I had someone to save me from my child's MANIC MODE. In today's episode I talk about what mania is and what it looks like at my house.