Parenting by Strengths

Coaching And Montessori: The Roots Of Resilience

By Steve Coxsey 

If you have a chance to visit a Montessori school during a typical day, as opposed to during a special event day, you might see a refreshingly curious site. Two, or sometimes three or more, children might be sitting together at a table or in a small circle talking seriously. They’re not playing during free time, and they’re not working on a project together. They’re resolving conflicts with just a little bit of direction from their teacher. 

Teaching Children with Learning Disabilities to Make Friends

Posted by: Cathy Rodrigues

This is a great article written by Mary Alward and posted on the One Place for Special Needs resource website. The article was posted in the Local School Directory website which has a wealth of articles and information. Some good ideas are presented and certainly a good place to start for parents who want to know how to help. With this information you can better ask questions and get help where you think you need help. Let me know what you think!
Cathy

Written By: Mary M. Alward

Children with learning disabilities often have trouble making and retaining friendships. Some kids know the social graces of initiating friendships, but have no idea how to sustain the relationship. Kids with learning disabilities often allow friendships to end because they don’t understand how to work out conflicts that occur on the schoolyard or in the community.

Talking Money....

by Mary Ivory

The title of this post was set to be "talking money problems with Kids" but as I did the work behind composing that, I was met with many money talk links! So when overwhelmed, I go back to basics of self care and take a deep breath. I encourage you to do that too! Now! Okay, take another deep breath and spend a couple of minutes with this blog spot, send it on to anyone you know who might need to have information at thier figure tips about "what to do next" about money management.

Back in November, I wrote about how to talk with kids about money issues as they were emerging in our world. There are some great links, so click here to read about kids and money.    Here is a short clip from the Early Show Teens and Money that will add to your batch of information.

The link I have added will take you to the most recent information on managing money today. Let me know if they are helpful to you.....

The CBS 2 News is the local Chicago CBS station that has collected links of great information about where to go and what to do about how to strech your dollar no matter where you live. Creatively is needed now. Support is the key. Parents, take care of you. ALL adults need to do this. Knowledge and support is how we are going bounce back and move forward.

I would love to know what you think. If you have links to share on manageing money, let everyone know by writing back here!

Our Righteousness Is Killing Us

by Amy Johnson, MSW

This post is a repost of an article I wrote in my column, Sex in the Suburbs, for the Federal Way Mirror.

I just returned from Washington, D.C., where I was privileged to be part of a Sexuality Education Advocacy Training developed by three faith groups.

We came together from all over the country to be a religious voice for comprehensive sexuality education.

Sexuality education is a moral issue, and religious communities and organizations come down with varying degrees of tolerance. A loud and heavily government-funded (more than $1.5 billion over the past two decades) religious voice has proclaimed that the only acceptable teachings are "abstinence-only" until marriage. This same voice makes wildly inaccurate claims about comprehensive sexuality education, scaring otherwise intelligent adults into withholding information from our youth — and that is killing people.

Social Connection

by Mary Ivory

There was a time when having good social connections meant going to the 'right' school or living in the 'right' neighborhood. Since we don't have any choice of our social status, at least as a child, it is good that type of 'rightness' is becoming passe'.... But the importance of connecting socially has not changed.