This Is Not What I Was Expecting

Struggling to find the right medication for your child with ADHD? You're not alone. Medication shortages can have a significant impact on our children, but there are ways to manage the fallout and support them effectively. It's essential to champion the cause of children with ADHD and seek professional assistance. We share tips on how to advocate for our kiddos effectively. Now, here's where we ne...

Christina shared  one of her favorite resources from Wright's Law, the Letter to a Stranger. Find it and the theory behind how it works here: https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/Letter_to_Stranger.html For one on one support at no cost to parents of children with behavior and mental health challenges in PA visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/one-on-one-help Find out more about t...

Melissa shared a Mental Health Crisis Plan app, empowering anyone who has a serious mental illness to help guide their treatment preferences during a mental health crisis.  https://smiadviser.org/mymhcp Teresa shared  an article on FERPA: What parents of college students should know: https://www.usnews.com/education/articles/ferpa-what-parents-of-college-students-should-know And A Parent's Guide t...

Does your child have an IEP? Sign up for our 21 day IEP bootcamp. We'll send you 1 tip everyday to help get your child's IEP into great shape!  https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/256643/76927333143938394/share If you live anywhere in the state of Pennsylvania feel free to reach out to us and we'll connect you with a Family Support Partner (FSP). An FSP is a parent just like yourself who is als...

We talked about a few resources today. Here they are: What are the physical symptoms of anxiety? Find out in our blog. https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/post/the-physical-symptoms-of-anxiety Create an Emotional Safety Plan for yourself and then have your children create one for themselves. It can be a great way to start a conversation about mental health days. https://www.paparentandfamily...

If you'd like to talk with a Family Support Partner (FSP) connect with us here: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/one-on-one-help  We'll be talking about back to school challenges in our Parent Connections meetings until the end of September. Join us Monday night at 7 pm (ET) or Friday afternoon at noon (ET). https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/supportgroup  And if you child has an I...

We want to give a big thank you to Brewer who spent his internship with us as our Podcast Producer. His help was so valuable in helping us figure out how to get started and find our feet.  Check out Dave's blog  about being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and the impact it had on his life: paparentandfamilyalliance.org/post/getting-an-adhd-diagnosis-in-your-30-s-parents-mental-health-matters-too-1...

Music: Dancehall Lush by Spice Originals.  Here's some guidance from the PA Department of Education on admission to kindergarten: https://www.education.pa.gov/Policy-Funding/BECS/Purdons/Pages/AdmissionKindergartenBeginners.aspx  Be sure to look for your local school district's website for rules and tips specific to your local area.  If you have trouble enrolling your child in school or want to ta...

If you're not sure if your child is ready for kindergarten or not, the Parent Alliance, Family Support Partners are always available to listen and help you make a plan no matter your decision. https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/one-on-one-help  If you live in Pennsylvania we're available to help at no cost to you. Parents from anywhere are welcome to join our support groups, webinars and ut...

Act 65 of 2020 is a mental health consent law introduced by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. This law "determines who can provide consent for voluntary mental health treatment of minors, in both inpatient and outpatient settings." The original goal of this law and the actual outcome have become blurred and have since negatively affected many families who are unaware of the real meani...

On this week's episode Melissa, Tracy, and Brewer talk about all the different things happening at this point in life. School is ending, people are graduating, and pool parties are becoming the norm. For many children and young adults, this is a scary sight. At a time when you should be in relaxation mode, you are faced with a rush of anxiety and insecurities. This can be especially hard for our c...

Talking to your child about mental health can be challenging, especially when you are talking about their own challenges. Children and young adults may look at all of these myths and stigmas we talked about last week, and become insecure about their own challenges. This ultimately results in an insecure and defensive situation when you or another trusted individual try and talk to your child about...

50 years ago things such as depression and anxiety may have been considered  taboo, or not even considered at all. Today, we live in a world where myths and stigmas about youth mental health are constantly represented in schools, social media, and much more. As a young child or teenager, it may be difficult to admit that you may be going through hard times, and these myths and stigmatism do nothin...

Sometimes, as a parent, we are forced to give more time and attention to our children that need it more. As young teens/children, these more self-sufficient may not fully understand why they are receiving less than their siblings. Although the love never changes from child to child, sometimes our care does and this stirs up a whole lot of sibling resentment. At the end of the day, no one is to fau...

This week we are picking up where we left off with the second part of our 'Summer Series'. In this week's episode, you will hear our moms share some of their favorite summer memories with their kids as well as some of the tips and tricks they picked up along the way. Navigating Summer break can seem expensive and stressful, but we promise that some cheap supplies and an enthusiastic attitude  will...

The weather is getting warmer and the days are getting longer and we all know what that means. Yes, the kids are coming back from school and parents gotta figure it out! Whether you work on-site, remotely, or are a stay-at-home parent you are going to need to find your child some time to kill and yourself some time to work. For our kiddos with challenges we also want to try and find them some bene...

This time of year always seems like the right time for a little recharge. Whether the time is best filled with family, friends, or our favorite, by yourself it always is nice to get a break from regular life. In this episode, you will get to hear how some of our moms find these little 'recharge' moments throughout their busy days. It is always important to remember to give some time and effort bac...

Act 65 of 2020 is a mental health consent law introduced by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. This law "determines who can provide consent for voluntary mental health treatment of minors, in both inpatient and outpatient settings." The original goal of this law and the actual outcome have become blurred and have since negatively affected many families who are unaware of the real meani...

We went back to basics with our episode today and decided to offer you guys some tips and tricks to help you navigate through this challenging journey as a parent. Sometimes the simplest tasks like getting up and out of the house can be so difficult, but with some helpful hints, you and your family may be able to tackle the morning better than you ever have. Whether you have the latest technology...

Growing up, I'm sure you had experiences where you found it difficult to fit in, find a hobby or group which you enjoyed, and every other possible experience when your main goal was to just feel normal. These experiences are the ones that make you so adamant about finding and utilizing your own child's special interest. Although it may be difficult to get this goal, the outcome is so special that...

In this week's episode, the original crew of Melissa, Christina, Tracy, and Brewer discuss certain resources that can be useful when you feel like you are either stuck in a waiting line, between specialists, dealing with school difficulties, etc. You have probably heard our members mention certain ideas like PH95 and the Student Assistance Program (SAP) but you may not be fully aware of all the be...

In today's episode, we get into a sadly common phenomenon of bullying. Members of our crew give us their own life examples to further their points of view on the matter. At the end of the day, bullying is becoming more intricate and prominent with the advancement of social media and other communication platforms. As a parent, it is hard to resolve the bullying challenges when most of it is happeni...

For more information visit us @: paparentandfamilliyalliance.org For one on one support at no cost to parents of children with behavior and mental health challenges in PA visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/one-on-one-help Find out more about the PA Parent and Family Alliance and how you can support our work at https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/donation To access any tip sheet...

Read about one family's challenges with sibling resentment: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/post/dealing-with-sibling-resentment For more information please visit us @: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/   For one on one support at no cost to parents of children with behavior and mental health challenges in PA visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/one-on-one-help Find...

For more information visit our website: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/ Additional information can also be found on our blog: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/blog   Important Quote: "Do not let perfection get in the way of you completing something" For one on one support at no cost to parents of children with behavior and mental health challenges in PA visit: https://www.papar...