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Real American Family
On this episode, we address getting a divorce. We aren’t adding “the right way” to the end of that, because what’s right for every family will be different. But we hope that, with a healthy dose of humor, and a lot of links to resources, we can help you tackle a few of the aspects of your divorce.
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Recently, we shared a video of you featuring Riley McIlwain, because that video talked practically and honestly about how all fathers should be there for their kids. Back when I found his first video, I was looking for teen parents who could talk about the experience for our award winning web series, 9ine, and I [...]
(more…)We’re fairly pleased to have stumbled upon Kids Health, a website with all sorts of information for young kids, teens, and parents. It doesn’t have the shiniest design qualities, but you don’t have to worry about being slapped in the face with ad campaigns. It’s all information, and we wanted to share an article we found for kids about divorce.
(more…)As my son approached his first birthday, he was very active. It felt as though the day after he learned to walk, he started to run. He was always getting into things and pushing limits. A lot of his behaviors were typical for kids his age, but when he started going to preschool, we realized that he was much more active than other kids his age. He was so energetic, in fact, we were asked to find a new school for him because his teachers just could not keep up with him.
His dad and I started to wonder if we were terrible parents and causing him to act this way. We read parenting books and attended classes. We talked to other parents. Most parents did not have children who behaved this way. But we began to meet parents who did, and we knew they were not bad parents either. In fact, they too were looking for help.
Mother’s Day is just around the corner. This web video always makes me laugh. Enjoy.
By Alejandra Okie
Real American Family talked to Kelly Brown, a school-based Licensed Professional Counselor, to get advice on how parents can tell their children they are divorcing.
Real American Family: How important is it to plan and think through how to have this conversation with your child?
Kelly Brown: You have to remember that telling your child you are getting separated or divorced is only one in a series of events and changes that will have a long-lasting impact on your child’s life. For example, the child may start living in two households, then one or both of their parents may start dating and may remarry, and so on. You want to cooperate as much as possible with your ex-spouse from the very beginning so that your child will have the best chances of adjusting and being happy in the long term. Think of your child’s needs first and try to put your anger toward your spouse aside.
Real American Family: What should the parents do before the meeting? (more…)
I recently occurred to me that the old standby of the school picture isn’t really so necessary these days. We have digital cameras and social networks. By the time our kids are seven there are more pictures of them than there ever were of us by the time we were in our twenties.
Yet there I was, filling out the yearly forms and fees and just blindly writing whatever checks needed writing. The standard picture day envelope came into the shuffle, and as I tried to decide which package was best for my family, I also began wondering why I shell out $30 a child every year for a picture that usually doesn’t capture a real, telling image of my child’s personality anyway.
Jennifer Ebbott
While we often make light of very serious topics, we want to make sure that we are providing you with useful information on all of the issues your family faces. This month we talked to Jenn Ebbott, a trained therapist specializing in working with children, who offers us some great advice on parenting a child with a mental illness.
