Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Happy Holidays!

Since the purpose of having a blog is to write pretty much whatever I want and post it worldwide for all to see, I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday season.

Christmas and New Year wishes
by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche


Let us celebrate Christmas.

Let us celebrate New Year.

Let us celebrate every day, every hour

And every minute of our life.

Let us rekindle love, friendship, gratitude,

joy and enthusiasm in us today.

Let us live today a purposeful and harmonious day,

And tomorrow will be another day of celebration.

Let us live each day as a New Celebration.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Advice for Frustrated Parents

I recently had a parent ask me the following, and I thought it would be helpful to post my response so that others could see:

Parent: You wouldn't have any parenting advice for a frustrated parent of a 10 year old boy with ADHD(combined type), Mood Disorder, and Disorder of written expression. If you could give any advice I would be forever grateful! He gets so frustrated!

Me: Sounds like everyone is frustrated...and reasonably so! Parenting is never easy, and comes with a lot of extra challenges when your child suffers from any, let alone multiple mental health issues.

To a parent who gets frustrated, I would recommend a few things. First, get support. There are several communitities online that offer advice from specialists and other parents. One of my favorites is called ADDitude. They have a whole section on parenting issues as well as a forum section where you can post questions (http://www.additudemag.com/channel/parenting-adhd-children/index.html). Another great ADHD organization to follow, which sends out a terrific magazine, is CHADD (www.chadd.org). I would also consider finding a local support group in your area.

Another thing I would recommend is some relaxation exercises. There are some you can teach yourself, but the best way is to go to a professional. They can help you to learn guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, and several other useful techniques that you can use not only in the heat of the moment, but also as you are trying to, say, unwind from a hectic day.

Also, don't forget the importance of exercise--a great stress reducer!

And finally, (and a professional can also help with this) don't forget to constantly remind yourself of 1. the wonderful things about your child and your life. Perhaps keep a journal by the side of your bed and every night take 5 minutes to write all the great things your child did that day and the things you are grateful for. Or, for you and the child, put up post-it notes around the house with positive statements about the child so that he can see them and boost his self-esteem and you can see them and feel good about him; 2. Don't sweat the small stuff. No matter how bad things are for you, there are countless people out there with even greater problems. As hard as it is sometimes, always try to remind yourself of this.

I hope this begins to help. Best of luck to you and congrats for having such a dynamic, energetic child!

Monday, December 8, 2008

The Study Zone!


I recently met with Ilene Shwartz, M.Ed., an educational consultant and founder of "Strategiec Educational Solutions". She has created a wonderful product designed to assist individuals in organizing their workspace, called the "Study Zone".

The Study Zone is a portable work station with accessible organizers for supplies and important papers. Simple organizational strategies are embedded into this product to help manage homework, studying and paperwork. It creates a cozy, private work space in any environment.

The Study Zone is not only useful at home and school but also for:
• Children in two household families
• Students who participate in after school homework clubs
• Organizing children’s medical, therapy and school records
• Creating a keepsake organizer or resource file for future grades

Please contact me if you would be interested in purchasing one of these great items. The child Study Zone is $49 and the adult Study/Work Zone is $35.