|
Dear Parent,
This month, many of us have children who are
going back to school, or may even be starting
school for the first time. The stress of
these changes often brings about behavioral
patterns that are often labeled "Separation
Anxiety". Whatever the condition we apply to
our kids, it can have the very power to
enhance and add excuses to behaviors we
actually want to avoid. ScreamFree parents
don't apply these conditions to their kids,
rather, we treat each day as a new day, and
never stop expecting our kids to surprise us.
| Separation Anxiety |
 |
|
By Hal Runkel
When I give seminars to parents, I always
leave some time at the end for questions. One
that I seem to get quite often deals with an
issue that simply begs me to stand on a
soapbox. The question in question deals with
separation anxiety. My soapbox deals not with
the one asking the question, but rather, the
philosophy behind the question itself. So,
are you ready for a ScreamFree rant? That may
be a contradiction in terms, but this
question deserves it. So, here goes:
Separation anxiety is another of my
industry's attempts to diagnose an observed
set of behaviors in children. And most of
these diagnoses, in my minority opinion, are
misdirected in their focus and
counterproductive in their effect.
Take this one, for instance. Separation
anxiety is diagnosed upon any toddler who
exhibits consistent crying, whining, or even
thrashing when separated from his/her parent.
This usually occurs at daycare or preschool,
or at the church nursery. Sometimes the child
just loses it upon the first 10 minutes after
drop-off, sometimes it's happening during the
entire time of separation.
|
| Ask Hal: Trouble Relating to Teen |
|
|
Dear Hal,
I am really struggling with my teenaged son.
Whenever I try to tell him that I went
through adolescence too, his response is
always the same, "You don't know what it's
like." It is so frustrating because I
actually do have some wisdom to offer from
the other side. It seems like he thinks I was
born old! How can I get him to see that I do
know what it's like?
See
Hal's
response.
Do you have a Parenting question for Hal,
the author
and creator of ScreamFree Parenting? Email Us
Directly at AskHal@ScreamFree.com. We will
answer a limited number of questions in upcoming
newsletters.
Unfortunately, we cannot respond to all
questions. If you want further feedback on your
individual situation, we encourage you to
explore Relationship
Coaching with a certified ScreamFree coach.
You can also share your questions or
parenting issues in the ScreamFree
Parenting Forum.
|
| News & Updates |
|
|
The Highly Anticipated ScreamFree Parenting
Book Launch is Next Week!
The first event in our book launch campaign
will be our kickoff event right here in
Atlanta at the Atlanta Journal and
Constitution Decatur Book
Festival. Along with some 70,000 book
lovers, Hal Runkel, the creator of
ScreamFree, will be sharing the ScreamFree
vision at Decatur Conference Center,
Saturday, September 1st at 10 am. Come and
see Hal and other nationally-recognized authors.
And on the heels of this festival,
the official book launch is Tuesday,
September 4th, 2007 with major
national television appearances to follow by
week's end!
|
|
Featured Partner |
|
|
|
CafeMom is
an online community where thousands of moms
come together to swap stories and advice on a
wide array of topics. CafeMom users each get
their own homepage which they can customize
as much or as little as they want to showcase
their personality. Users can also start
public or private groups with other moms
about common interests and concerns. Moms of
all ages and beliefs are now meeting,
talking, and having fun at CafeMom.
To add your voice to the conversation, set up
your profile now by visiting www.cafemom.com.
|
|
