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When I worked in children’s mental health the idea of behavior being a form of communication became apparent. Sometimes it’s easy to overlook the behavioral component of communication and just feel frustrated with the behavior.
But what’s considered “bad behavior” may be the only way your child knows how to deal with stress and fear.
Children communicate in ways that sometimes leaves their parents confused and frustrated. When children are faced with adult-sized stress and only have a child-sized understanding they fill the chasm with behavior. When words fail, they act out.
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Summer is the season for fun.
The warm weather, the pool parties, the watermelon and Independence Day are just a few things that come to mind. But summertime activities can also break the budget, not to mention the cost of a gallon of gas.
What can you do to fill in the days without blowing your bank account? Here are a few affordable and practical ideas to drum up summer fun in your own yard or community.
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The military is full of changing circumstances and the entire family can be affected—including kids.
If you’ve ever had to relocate during a school year, you may have dealt with the hassle of transferring curriculum in order to keep your child on track. New teachers, educational style, curriculum, and the constant changing quality of schools from location to location can unsettle students and some find it impacts their student’s performance in school.
Some military families choose to take matters into their own hands and choose to home school their children.
As with most decisions there are advantages and disadvantages to home schooling military children and ultimately families have to make the decision on what is right for them.
If you’re considering home schooling, here are some aspects to review: See More
January 2012 marks the tenth year since Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR partnered and started National Mentoring Month. The goal in its creation was to bring national awareness to the need for mentors so that more people could enjoy consistent, positive relationships. With the chaos of a constantly changing military lifestyle, one group that can benefit from a mentor is military children.
Whether it’s to cope with a deployment, the loss of a parent or just an extra friend to have, there are multiple mentorships designed for military children. Here are a few: See More
For any family to adopt, it takes knowledge, patience and love. Unfortunately for military families, there can be a few more obstacles in adopting a child that makes these traits even more important.
Knowledge is crucial because there are many laws at the state and federal levels to keep in mind while going through the adoption process. Most of these laws are dependent on what state you live in and where the child will be coming from (here’s a list of state laws). For example, you may adopt within your own state lines or while stationed overseas.
No matter the circumstances of the adoption, there will be very specific laws that apply to your situation. See More
There are some wonderful classic books as well as some great new books that will get you in the Christmas spirit this holiday season. Be sure to check out these books for your family, you may just find a new treasured favorite! These books also make wonderful gifts for all the children in your life. See More
One of the most difficult parts of a PCS with a family is ensuring your children receive a good education, no matter where you live. Choosing a school district from a distance can be difficult when you don’t know people in the town you are moving to. Here are some key things to research in your quest for the best school for your family. See More
The transient nature of military life means it’s not altogether uncommon to hear about a service members’ child attending nine schools before graduating high school. In fact, more than 1 million children of military parents relocate every year, according to the the U.S. Census Bureau.
Unfortunately, the timing doesn’t always work out, meaning schoolchildren are at times faced with a move during the school year. A student may be in the middle of earning a foreign language credit and serving as captain of the lacrosse team, only to move to a school that doesn’t offer either.
These are difficult moves for both families and young students. But here’s a look at six ways to help ease the transition as much as possible: See More
When a parent is deployed for service the impact on children can be hard for them to handle.
To help provide military families with the resources and emotional support to deal with the absence of a family member the Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, has created the Talk, Listen, Connect: Deployments, Homecomings, Changes initiative.
Between visiting friends and family or enduring a permanent change of station, the military lifestyle can require a lot of extra travel.
It’s not so bad when you only have to plan a trip for yourself. But the challenge can rise dramatically when you have a child or children to bring along. There are ways to avoid the potential tantrums, sheer boredom and irksome insomnia.
Here are a few tips to effectively manage and enjoy your travels with kids: See More
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