Monthly Archives: December 2013

ADHD & Focus, Child Safety, Self-Discipline, SYN Digital Enrollment Director

Managing and controlling your child’s ADHD symptoms

If you have a child with ADHD or ADHD symptoms, then you know how overwhelming this can be. What if there was a way to control and reduce your child’s ADHD symptoms, by helping them directing their energy into something more positive?

Most children with ADHD or ADHD symptoms do not have the ability of organizing, thinking and planning ahead, or completing tasks. As a parent, you will need to provide extra guidance for your child, while allowing your child to gain skills of their own.

 

What are some ADHD symptoms?

Before you can find solutions for your child, it’s best to first understand all of your child’s symptoms and how they impact the family as a whole.

Here are a few noticeable behaviors that many children with ADHD have that can disrupt the life of your family.

  • They tend to disregard parental instructions
  • They are very unorganized, as well as easily distracted
  • They’ll begin projects and forget to finish them
  • They will often interrupt conversation and demand to be the center of attention at the worst times
  • They may speak before they think of what to say
  • It can be very difficult for them to go to sleep
  • They can also put themselves in physical danger by doing things that will cause them bodily harm

 

Ways to manage ADHD symptoms

There are ways to help reduce some of these symptoms that will make you and your family much happier in the long run. The first step is to stay positive and healthy by have a more positive outlook on life.

The best way to do this is to try to keep things in perspective. Keep in mind that your child’s behavior is a disorder. They don’t have an evil intention to make you and your family’s life a living hell.

Another thing to keep in mind is to have a sense of humor. As your child gets older, all of those embarrassing experiences you’ve dealt with in the past, will become funny stories in the future.

You’ll need to make some compromises for your child. If you child hasn’t finished their chores or have missed a couple homework assignments, cut your child some slack. You need to understand that if your child hasn’t finish something the way you wanted them to, it isn’t the end of the world.

Help your child grow as a person by believing in them. Put together a list of positive and unique this about your child. Be sure to trust that they will be to learn and mature themselves as the days go by.

 

ADHD symptoms can take a toll on you as well

While you are taking care of your child, you should also take care of yourself, especially during this time.

Be sure to exercise and eat right, as well as look for ways to reduce stress from your life. You should also seek support by talking with a teacher or a therapist.

You should also consider joining a support group for parents of children with ADHD. This will allow you to share your experiences and receive helpful advice from others going through the same situation.

Bullying, SYN Digital Enrollment Director, SYN The Bully Expert

When teachers bully students

We often think of bullying as a peer-against-peer offense, but many times it can happen between two different age groups or levels of authority. One such example of this is when teachers bully students.

It may be hard to believe, but the people you trust to educate and protect your children during the school day may not be the guardian you thought them to be. But what exactly constitutes teacher bullying?

 

More than a “mean” teacher

Sure, most children believe a teacher has it out for them at one time or another. They may feel that a bad grade or a public scolding was mean or unjustified when truthfully, the teacher was simply doing his or her job.

When a situation becomes more than a case of a mean teacher is if they

  • go above and beyond what was necessary to punish a student
  • systematically pick on or harass one or more students
  • downgrade a student’s work for malicious purpose
  • physically harm a student

 

Detention time

If your child complains about their teacher (who doesn’t?) how can you tell if the child is misreading a situation or truly the target of a bully teacher? The best solution is to have continuing and open discussions.

Talk with your child about their experiences at school and about their teachers. If they complain that a teacher doesn’t like them or is mean, be sure to ask them more about it to get an understanding of the situation.

If you hear about a situation that concerns you, have a sit down meeting with the teacher but DO NOT make it confrontational. Nothing like alienating your child’s teacher if they have done nothing wrong or put them on the defensive.

The goal of talking to the teacher should be to come to a mutual understanding so the situation does not happen again. If this does not work it is time to take your concerns higher.

Meet with the principal or even the school board if necessary, but be sure that if there truly is an issue with a teacher bullying students that others are made aware of the problem.

 

Lesson over

Lastly reassure your child that if they are the victim of a bullying teacher that it is not their fault. They can change classes so they will not have to sit through abuse at the hands of their teacher.

When teachers bully students, it can be a daunting issue to address.

What if bringing it to the teachers attention only makes your child’s situation worse? What if no one believes you and your child? Will their grades suffer as a result?

If there truly is a problem teacher, chances are that other parents have noticed the same thing. If the school is getting numerous complaints, it adds legitimacy to the claims and should push the school board to investigate further.

At the end of the day, it is important that all students have a bully free environment. Even when the bully is the teacher.

 

Child Safety, Discipline, SYN Digital Enrollment Director

2013 Dangerous Toy Lists

It’s that time again every child waits for the whole year.  Gift giving season.

They fill out their Christmas list and parents flock to stores to find the year’s hottest toys – or at least something that will keep their kids entertained for all of 10 minutes.

But what ends up under the tree on December 25th could pose a potential health threat. So every year, safety groups find and rate the year’s most dangerous toys in hopes of keeping kids out of harm’s way.

Check out this article before heading to the store to find out what made the “naughty” list of Dangerous Toys for 2013.

The report states that while toys are safer than before, there still are some that can harm a child’s health.

Would a toy on the list dissuade you from buying it for your child?