One of the keys to thriving in the modern economic climate is versatility – and the ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways with the widest possible audience. This includes bilingual ability as well as the ability to communicate in non-verbal ways for the benefit of the disabled – primarily the deaf.

At the same time, a growing shortage of qualified interpreters fluent in American Sign Language has led to more career opportunities – and if current trends continue, it’s likely that skilled ASL interpreters will have little problem securing lucrative employment in a society where such a commodity is destined to be in short supply.

Signing Before They Can Speak

A great deal of research has clearly demonstrated that the early years – ages 2 to five – are the best time to educate children in different modes of communication and language. This goes beyond the spoken word (though it is an optimal time for children to learn a second language); many young children have an aptitude for signing as well.

This is not as odd as you may think. As you know, many indigenous peoples around the world, including American Indian nations, have used sign language for centuries to facilitate communication with other tribes with whom they do not share a language. Some paleontologists and anthropologists theorize that Neanderthals – who apparently lacked the vocal mechanism to produce many spoken words – depended a great deal upon hand gestures to communicate.

In fact, recent research suggests that sign language is innate. An article published in the Boulder Daily Camera in 2003 presented strong evidence that babies as young as six months old communicate with their hands:

“…by 6 to 7 months, babies can remember a sign. At eight months, children

can begin to imitate gestures and sign single words. By 24 months, children

can sign compound words and full sentences. They say sign language reduces

frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves

before they know how to talk.” (Glarion, 2003)

The author also cites study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development demonstrating that young children who are taught sign language at an early age actually develop better verbal skills as they get older. The ability to sign has also helped parents in communicating with autistic children; one parent reports that “using sign language allowed her to communicate with her [autistic] son and minimized his frustration…[he now] has an advanced vocabulary and excels in math, spelling and music” (Glarion, 2003).

The Best Time To Start

Not only does early childhood education in signing give pre-verbal youngsters a way to communicate, it can also strengthen the parent-child bond – in addition to giving children a solid foundation for learning a skill that will serve them well in the future. The evidence suggests that the best time to start learning ASL is before a child can even walk – and the implications for facilitating the parent-child relationship are amazing.

Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the Zionsville educational day care facility, a member of the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose Schools (located in 16 states throughout the U.S.) and part of the network of Indiana educational day care preschools delivering the progressive, early childhood Balanced Learning® curriculum.

Related posts:

1. Enhancing Mother-Baby Communication through Sign Language
2. Using Sign Language with Hearing Babies and Children
3. Teach Your Kids to Love Learning

Curious?

It’s a strategy I accidentally discovered for my son when he was two years old that has had a more drastic impact on getting him to behave then anything else I’ve tried.

But before I pull back the curtain and reveal it to you, I do want to warn you… this strategy might seem a little out there for you, and might force you to open up your mind to a new way of looking at your child’s behavior long enough for me to make the whole case.

When I first heard this strategy, I thought it was total BS too, until I saw it working for my family.

And it’s based on this one premise…

What if Your Child Was Misbehaving Because Their Spine Is Out Of Alignment?  (I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out)

This sounds kooky right?

But there have been a lot of published case studies where children with behavior problems like ADHD were able to improve their behavior after several months of chiropractic care.

I’m not trying to argue that chiropractic is the cure for things like ADHD, I’m just saying that if chiropractic can fix behavior problems as bad as ADHD, then maybe it would be a better plan for a child with a more mild behavior problem like just basic defiance, or hyperactivity.

Now I have to be honest with you…

I was not forward thinking enough to actually go look for this research ahead of time and then try it on my son.  I wish I was that smart, but alas I’m not

I stumbled onto this solution for my son in a much different way while trying to find a new chiropractor for MYSELF after moving to a new town.  Which is when I discovered a chiropractor who specializes in a type of chiropractic called Upper-Cervical.

And to make a long story short, Upper-Cervical is a type of chiropractic that believes that by keeping the top two vertabrea in alignment the human body works MUCH better.

So I tried it; and something very ODD happened…

I Noticed All Symptoms of Irritability Vanish!

By keeping my upper two vertebrae in alignment I was no longer feeling irritable (which was actually kinda starting to be a problem… just ask my wife

And that’s when our chiropractor suggested he do the same treatment for my son.

So we did.

And holy S&*T did it make ALL the difference in the world!

My son immediately became more calm, and less confrontational when things weren’t going his way.  He also become more sweet, and kind towards other children.  He even slept better throughout the night with less nightmares.  All because he was in alignment.

To the point where if he starts to become more defiant for two days in a row, we just know he’s out of alignment.

I know this might be hard to swallow.  I know it sounds a little voodoo, especially since our society likes to talk about how the only way we can heal our children is with drugs and traditional medicines or some fancy parenting technique.

But I’ve seen such a drastic change in my son’s behavior for the better (even when I thought he was good to start with) that I just have to share this strategy with you.

And here’s the best part…

This Eliminated 90% Of Our Son’s Disobedient Behavior

We basically no longer even worry about behavior.  So we don’t even need another behavior modification plan, or at least not a very intense one.  We can literally just talk our son our of his issues now… with reason and understanding.

We don’t need to use time-outs, we don’t need to punish, and we never need to yell.  Because when his spine is in alignment he becomes instantly obedient.

Do I believe 100% this plan will work for you?

Maybe, Maybe NOT.

Maybe your child won’t respond as well as mine did.  But maybe, just maybe they will.  And if there’s even a possibility that they will respond as favorably as mine, you’re going to kick yourself for not trying it out for yourself.  Because this one “Child Behavior Modification Plan” has been more effective for me personally then any Wiz-Bang technique I’ve ever found.

What Do You Think?

What do you think about this idea?  Are you willing to try it?  Have you tried it and didn’t get results?  Have you seen it work with some chiropractors like ones specializing in Upper Cervical, and NOT work with others?

Or do you think this is total BS?

Either way, prove to me you’re a living, breathing human being with a pulse by leaving your feedback below.  I’d love to hear your opinion.

Related posts:

1. Behavior Charts for Kids
2. Stopping Aggressive Behavior in Toddlers
3. Is Your Child Gifted? You Might Be Surprised.

I bought him a Strider Bike! Below is my Strider Bike Review!

What is a Strider Bike? It’s a bike that was designed around the theory that a child could learn to ride a bike faster if he first learned how to balance the bike, BEFORE he learned to pedal.

Here’s how it works:

The inventors of the strider bike have removed the pedals from their bikes so that your child can simply straddle the bike with his hands on the handle bars and then simply walk with the bike between his legs.

When I got my son a Strider Bike for his second birthday he spent the first day just walking around with it and getting the feel for how to move the handle bars to keep the bike from falling over.

On the second day he started experimenting with sitting down on the bike, and taking small steps. And in my opinion this is where the magic happens, because this is when the child starts to tip over… and instead of just letting themselves tip over because they know a “training wheel” is going to keep them from falling over… they put down their foot to break their fall.

This teaches kids the limitations of what they can and can’t do with their bodies on the bike, and they VERY quickly learn how to not tip over while sitting on the bike and walking very slowly.

This only took a few days for my son to figure out, and from all the other parents I tell to get this bike, their children catch on just as quickly.

Once the child figures out the balance, they start pushing their own limits, and the progress REALLY starts to accelerate.

They’ll accidentally come to a slope in the driveway that catches them off guard and gives them a short experience of what it’s like to coast, or they’ll get going to fast, turn the steering wheel to hard and have to put a foot down to keep from falling.

These little failures and success are helping the child figure out what the real limitations are in a way that starts slowly, so if they fall, they don’t fall to hard.

After one week my son was taking big strides on his own and picking up his feet to balance going straight, and a few weeks after that he was picking up his feet and turning.

And as I write this it is now 5 months after he first got on the bike and he has just ridden a REAL bike, with pedals for the first time. We had to spend about 1 week using a bike with training wheels to teach him to pedal, and with me running beside him as he learned how to get the bike started and how to break, but after just one week I can now officially say that he learned to ride a REAL bike before he was 2 1/2!

My neighbors are absolutely blown away, and people think he’s gifted with super human coordination, but I know differently.

I know that it was all because of a simple concept that REALLY teaches kids how to ride a bike the right way, by teaching balance first.

If you’re interested in teaching your kid to ride a bike, this is where I bought my Strider Bike from.

If you are serious about teaching your child to ride a bike as early as possible, and opening up his world to the fun of riding, and increasing his physical coordination, I highly encourage you to order one today.

Your child will LOVE you for it!

Related posts:

1. Enter Below To Win A Free Toddler Training Bike
2. How to Stop Toddler Biting
3. 5 Fun Activities for You and Your Toddler

Many of you have heard the statement that parents are a child’s most important teacher. What do you want your children to know about life and growing into adulthood? What will inspire them to work towards finding their passion and fulfilling their potential? What skills and attitudes do they need when obstacles appear?

Of course they will look up to you for your accomplishments. They will also be inspired by your attitude and how you react when things are not going according to plan. The shortest distance between two points may be a straight line. But we know that in life, going from where you are to where you want to be often involves detours, delays and sometimes a change in destination – - in other words, the unexpected brick walls.

Sometimes the wall may be relatively insignificant in the scheme of things. Other times it may be life-altering. (Sometimes the wall is an attitude or emotional disposition…) Remember that it is how you handle the small things that lays the groundwork for the bigger challenges. So how do you handle the wall? Are you standing in front of it, frustrated, angry, immobilized? Are you going around it, or over it, or tearing it down with adaptability, creativity and the attitude of a learner?   Kids are always watching to see what we will do. Here are some tips for getting to the other side of the wall.

Assess the situation. What is the challenge before you? Is it really insurmountable?

Brainstorm your options. Write down all possibilities, from the sublime to the ridiculous. (This process can lead to some creative solutions!) Eliminate what obviously won’t work.

Evaluate the finalists for the most realistic, achievable steps.

Take action. Put your full effort into this new action plan.

If necessary, rethink your goal. Is it critical to achieve exactly what you set out to do? Is compromise possible? What is the worst thing that will happen if you do, and is it really the worst thing?

And finally, reflect. How did you feel when you hit the wall? How did you feel after you developed and implemented a new strategy? What did you learn about the process? about yourself? What are you teaching your children about navigating through life?

It is said that we learn the most from our challenges. They test us and strengthen us. We gain experience, knowledge and wisdom. Give your children the gift of allowing them to ‘experience’ life.

Questions for reflection:

1. Think of a time when something didn’t go the way you planned. What strategies did you use to fix or change the situation? What personal strengths helped you through it?

2. What do your children know about the things you struggled with growing up? How do you think sharing this might inspire them?

3. How do you respond to your children when they ‘mess up?’ Do you criticize, try to fix it, or encourage them to problem-solve?

4. Which listening/communication skills and ‘brick wall’ strategies will you use the next time your child is faced with an obstacle?

If you liked this article you may also like The Total Transformation Review

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

Related posts:

1. Dealing with a Difficult Pregnancy
2. Dealing with Feelings of Inadequacy as a Mother
3. Nanny Personality and Risk Assessments – Benefits and Challenges

(On a personal note, my children were amazed to hear that when I studied abroad during my junior year of college, I was only able to call home three times. There were no cell phones, no computers or email, and it cost $40 for a 20-minute phone call, which I had to make from the post office.  Even though the program was well-supervised, I had lots of decisions to make and challenges to meet. No mom or dad to rely on, no instant feedback… and it was the most amazing and growth-filled year of my life!)

It takes so much time to explain and guide and teach. You may feel it’s faster and more efficient to take care of it yourself.  In the short-term, being pressed for time and patience, you want to step in and do it yourself; however, if you do, you will be raising a child who

• Doesn’t know how to problem-solve.

• Runs to you to fix everything.

• Cannot function independently.

• Cannot be depended upon to accomplish tasks.

• Has low self-esteem.

Now consider the long-term picture. What do you see fifteen years down the road? Most parents I talk to say they want their children to be confident, self-sufficient, happy and successful. For that to happen, they need the opportunity to grow. This requires parents who are able to step back and let their children experience life.  Here are some tips to help you on this path.

• As always, take a breath and think.  Whose problem is it?  If it’s not an issue of health or safety, consider whether you need to be part of it.

• Your child will make mistakes. Most mistakes are not fatal, but they are necessary to become confident and competent.

• Express confidence that your teen can come up with a solution.

• Offer to be available to help (not to do it for them).

• Teach him/her how to problem-solve.

Some of The First Steps Are:

• Brainstorm and narrow down possible action steps.

• Evaluate how realistic the possibilities are.

• Set a time frame for action.

• Listen carefully and accept and acknowledge feelings.

It is said that we are born with all the abilities, wisdom and potential we need to take us through life. Trust that this is true for your child, too. You’ve been responsible for a long time for all aspects of his well-being.  Help him tap into his innate potential to care for himself and find his own solutions.

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1. Warning Signs For Anorexia in Teens
2. Showing Teens the Importance of Saving Money From Their Summer Jobs

#1 – It Doesn’t Just Fix Problems… It Can Prevent Them From Ever Happening!

While the program is specifically designed to help parents handle disrespectful, abusive & obnoxious children 5 years of age or older, and gives TONS of great techniques for handling tough kids… I actually think this program can help open the eyes of parents with younger children too.

That’s actually why I eventually decided to purchase The Total Transformation Program… so I could learn about the problems my two young children might run into in the future. And if you use The Total Transformation program in that way… as a tool for preventing behavior problems BEFORE they start, I think you can get even more out of it then James Lehman says you can.

#2 – It’s About MORE Then Behavior Modification

When you first start going through Lehman’s Total Transformation Program one of the very first things he talks about are 16 character flaws that children can develop.  And after reading through these 16 character traits, I realized something… all the traits he lists are traits that you are I use to describe people we don’t like in life.

And what James taught me is that if you don’t work at overcoming these character flaws while your children still live under your roof, they will become adults with these flaws… and those flaws will repel GOOD people away from then, attract negative influential people TO them, and therefore keep them from EVER reaching their full potential.

Here are some that stood out for me:

• Always Blames Others - This is a person who always feels like their a victim.  That problems in their life are OTHER people’s faults.  But with the Total Transformation program James shows you how to teach your child to start accepting responsibility and learning how to stop feeling like YOU are their problem.
• Become a Wisher - A wisher is a kid who might get a bad grade in school, and when asked what he’s going to do about it just says with complete sincerity, “I’ll do better next time”; except never realize that he has to change if he wants a better grade.For me, this is one of those character traits we could ALL work on as humans… realizing that sometimes we’re the ones who have to look inside ourselves and ACTUALLY change if we want to achieve our goals in life.  And what I learned from The Total Transformation program were step-by-step techniques for how to teach our kids to grow up with this skill.
• Justifying Their Abusive Behavior - Children who do this think they can do things like yell at their teacher, or hit their sister because they were mistreated.  If not corrected, Lehman shows you how they grow up and just keep abusing everyone in their lives who don’t act as THEY think they should.  And inside Jame’s Lehman’s program you learn how to teach children APPROPRIATE ways to handle people who mistreat them.

#3 – You Get REAL Life Scripts For Handling Children

This was really one of the coolest parts of The Total Transformation program.  In one audio CD from the program James Lehman spends nearly one hour going over classic arguments your child will have with you, in a way that lets you watch how a REAL parent responds after being coached on The Total Transformation methods.

This isn’t just some fairy tale scripting either… in these scripts the kid acts out just like they do in your home, and you see the exact methods at work on the fly, and how kids react to them.  It’s a very cool part of the program.

My Final Thoughts…

Basically The Total Transformation program didn’t just deliver what the infomercial promised… it OVER DELIVERED!

It really is one of those programs you should buy, put on your ipod and relisten to every few months until your parenting job is over… it’s just that good.

If you’d like to try it out for yourself, you can get a $1 30 day trial by clicking below:

The Total Transformation Program

And please, after you go through the program, come back and leave me a comment on what you learned after going through all the exercises… I think it’d be a fun way for us parents to take our parenting skills to the next level by learning from each other’s big take-aways

Chet Womach also acts as an affiliate marketing partner for Legacy Publishing Company.

Related posts:

1. Review of “Unconditional Parenting” — Why Grades Are Making Children Less Self Motivated

The key is this, when we compliment our children we want to avoid giving them evaluative praise- like “you are so smart”, “you have the best personality”, “ you are so pretty”. Evaluative praise is seen as mechanical and empty, it gives children a fleeting sense of well being.  That is why my clients daughter was so resistant to listening to her mother. This type of praise makes children uncomfortable and defensive.  Children need descriptive praise. Descriptive gives children a positive image of their capabilities and will truly boost their self esteem.

Here are some examples of descriptive praise:

Instead of: “You are the greatest”

Be descriptive and remind her of the times that she was helpful and kind:

“Remember the time, I couldn’t find my earring and you looked all over the place and found it. That was so helpful and kind.”

Instead of: “You are so pretty”

Be descriptive and focus on her ability to put herself together:

“I love the way that blue sweater matches your eyes. That is a good color for your skin toneWe . 
The sweater and the skirt together reminds me of an outfit I saw in a magazine.”

Instead of: “You are so smart.”

Be descriptive and focus on her accomplishments:

“I remember your last essay that you wrote for English class. It showed that you really felt Anne Frank’s plight and frustration. Your teacher also felt that way- remember her comments.”

Instead of: “You are so nice”

Be descriptive and tell her how she has made you feel:

“I was having a really rough time today, I didn’t know if I was going to get dinner on time and I was feeling frazzled. I really appreciate that you unloaded the dishwasher and did your brother’s job of setting the table. That helped me get calm and focus on cooking dinner. I felt we were a good team tonight.”

Instead of: “You are the most intelligent girl I know”

Be descriptive and acknowledge the effort she put into her work:

“You really worked hard on this science project. You took the time to decide on a topic that interested you. You did the research that you needed to do at the library and on the computer. You did the artwork and the writing for the presentation. When the experiment didn’t work like it was supposed to you asked your teacher and I for ideas and help. You should be proud of the effort you put into your work.”

When we use descriptive praise with our children we paint pictures of their accomplishments and their developing talents. Evaluative praise, “Your’e the best” can be erased the next day by a negative comment, “You will never learn.” But you can’t ever take away the time she helped cheer up her sister by getting her an ice cream cone, or the time he did his chores without being asked. These memories, based on his concrete actions, become a part of the child ‘s sense of self. He can draw on them when he is feeling down a

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1. Parenting a Sensitive Child
2. How to Save Money by Giving Your Child an Allowance
3. Encouraging Creativity – Raising a Creative Child

And as you watch the video, there’s a spot where I talk about Einstein, but I really meant to say Edison… and wasn’t going to reshoot a whole 22 minute video to fix the mistake

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Home management for me is a constant learning process.  I have to continuously update my “system” and I am always experimenting with new ways of doing things.  But, here are a few tried and true tips that have helped our family survive the chaos:

Keep a stocked diaper bag/snack bin/backpack

I like to keep the supplies ready to go so that we are ready to run out the door.  I always keep diapers and wipes in the car, but I also have a bin of portable snacks that I can grab on the way out (cereal bars, goldfish, crackers, etc).

I also keep other bags ready as well.  My son’s backpack gets emptied and restocked immediately after school.  Sports bags are reloaded with clean uniforms as soon as the laundry is done.

Build in cushion time

I just assume that something is going to slow me down when we are trying to get somewhere.  The dog will need to go out.  The toddler will lose a shoe.  The kindergartener will get distracted finding his socks.  I usually give myself an extra 10 minutes to allow for these unexpected, but common, delays.

Clean up problem areas daily

There’s always one place in a house where piles accumulate.  For us, it’s the kitchen island.  It always has random toys, paperwork, mail, etc.  If I let it fester, the pile gets out of control.  So every day I clear it off.  I hate doing it, but it’s better to deal with problem areas before they become giant projects.

Have stations for common items

Designate a place for mail, shoes, keys, backpacks, school supplies, and so forth.  These are the types of things that both make messes and get lost.  We have a wall cubby for keys and wallets, a basket for shoes and bags in the closet, a wall sorter for mail by the back door, and a pencil case for school supplies in the pantry (since the kids like to draw in the kitchen).  These are all things that get used daily, and it’s helpful to keep track of them.

Make sure your system works for you

There are all sorts of home management systems out there, but they will inevitably fail if they aren’t tailored to your personality.  For instance, a lot of people recommend a monthly menu.  That is wonderful solution for many folks, but it doesn’t work for me.  I don’t like planning ahead that much, and I prefer frequent, smaller grocery trips.  I might feel like pasta one night, and grilling the next.  I might hear the local strawberries are in and so a trip to the farmer’s market is in order.  So, when I shop, I usually buy enough for 3-4 dinners.   I’ll also buy some non- or semi-perishables that will get me through an additional 2-3 meals (canned beans for soup, for instance, or meat that I can freeze).   This is what works for our family, but it’s not ideal for everyone.

An organized household won’t happen automatically, but it’s not hard to pick a few areas to streamline.   Our household is definitely a work in progress, but at least I know I can usually find my keys!

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1. Are All Stay At Home Mom’s Equal?
2. Coping with the Challenges of a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM)
3. Bringing Your Baby Home – Tips to Make the First Days Easier

The Age of the Child

When I was pregnant with my 2^nd child, I waited until after the first trimester to tell my 4 year old.  I did this for a couple of reasons.  First, time is very abstract to young children, and 9 months can seem like forever.  Second, I was fairly anxious during the pregnancy and I wanted to wait until I felt a bit more secure about it.

I now find myself pregnant again, and my son is now 6 and a half.  We’ll probably tell him earlier this time, mostly so he can understand why Mommy isn’t feeling well.  Although I am a high risk for miscarriage, there’s no way we could hide our emotions should we lose the baby, so there’s no sense keeping it from him.

My almost 2 year old doesn’t really understand what a “little brother” or “little sister” is, and I imagine we won’t explicitly tell her at all until I am showing quite a bit.  At that point, she’ll be a little older, and the visual reminder of my growing tummy might help her out with what is still a pretty strange concept to a little one!

The Temperament of the Child

Parents know their own kids best, and are the best judges of how children will react to the news.  My son, always intuitive, has been making comments about how he wonders if I will have another baby.  He’s definitely picking up on something.  However, he is also very sensitive, and we have the added challenge of explaining the nature of a high-risk pregnancy to a gentle and fearful little boy.

The Complexities of the Pregnancy

Morning sickness, fatigue, risk, and pregnancy history can all factor into the decision of when to tell a child about a pregnancy.  If a mother is throwing up constantly, it might ease a child’s fears to explain that Mommy isn’t sick, but pregnant!   In other cases, pregnant moms might need injections (because of IVF, or clotting disorders, for instance), and that might affect when to share the news.

In any case, sharing the happy news with children doesn’t need to be stressful.  It’s a cause for celebration, after all, and like they always do, kids will adjust.  Don’t stress out about the “right” time to tell the kids—simply enjoy the pregnancy and do what feels natural.

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