by Christine Hammond on October 12, 2017
You have read the parenting books, implemented the ideas, and tried new techniques but nothing seems to work. The siblings of the difficult child benefited from intentional parenting, but not the one it was intended to help. In fact, that child is getting worse and the parent’s exhaustion level is through the roof. The child… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on October 12, 2017
From a developmental point of view, teenagers should act differently from their child-like selves. This is the time to try on new roles, explore various passions, be adventurous and expand their critical thinking skills. They naturally move away from parental influence and begin to value peer opinions in an effort to form their own perspective…. (more…)
by Christine Hammond on August 3, 2016
The primary purpose of parenting is to raise fully functional adults who can take care of themselves and make a positive contribution to society. Generally speaking, this should be accomplished by eighteen. After this age, parents have less verbal influence but can still be positive role models through actions, not words. It is with the… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on April 1, 2016
Teenagers are notorious for their emotional mood swings. The extreme reaction of “I love you,” and “I hate you,” (sometimes happening within a few minutes) is enough to drive most parents crazy. To cope, many parents ignore their own emotions in an effort to try to manage their teen. Overtime, this develops into a pattern… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on April 29, 2015
Parenting is hard work. At times it can be overwhelming, lonely, exhausting, discouraging, exciting, joyful, rewarding, encouraging, and fun within just a few short minutes. The wide range of emotions you feel from excitement over watching your child finally ride a bike without training wheels to paralyzing fear as they ride that bike straight into… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on April 22, 2015
It seems like it happened all at once. One moment you were praising your kid for being so good and the next thing you know he/she is a completely different child in a foreign looking body. Not only are the clothing choices a bit different but the shoe size is rapidly increasing, the attitude is becoming… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on May 31, 2013
Just compiling this list of stupid things your kid might do over summer break was enough to drive me, as a parent, into a massive anxiety attack. After all, summer break should be about camps, swimming, going to the beach, parks, and hanging out with friends. Unfortunately the combination of unsupervised kids, the internet and… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on May 10, 2013
For many women, Mother’s Day is the hardest day of the year. Perhaps you are one of these women who have little to no contact with your child, outlived your child, tried unsuccessfully to conceive a child, or lost your child through a miscarriage or abortion. Just the mention of Mother’s Day brings to the… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on May 9, 2013
I’ll never forget the first time that my husband and I suggested to our kids that they go away to a summer camp for a week. As parents, we had discussed the benefits of a good summer camp program and spoke with many of our friends who recommended several camps around the country. We took… (more…)
by Christine Hammond on March 19, 2013
Dear Mommy and Daddy, Yesterday I just stood there as you fought over my baby sister. Mommy had both her arms and Daddy had both her legs. I thought my baby sister would break in half but she just cried cause she is only one years old. I felt so bad that I didn’t stop… (more…)