Do The Right Thing For The Emotional Age Of Your Child

Dear Parent,

Your child may not be able to do the things other kids do without problems.

Children with attachment challenged pre-frontal cortices often have delayed judgment, weak cause and effect thinking, poor impulse control and lack of personal self-care.  

Here are some things that need to be carefully considered:

•  Going to School:  Homeschooling is indicated for newly adopted children, as well as others.
• Sleep Overs: If your child has been maltreated, sleepovers need to be 100% supervised and sleeping arrangements need to be carefully considered.  Parents need to sleep in the same room sometimes.
• One to One Unsupervised Play in a Room with Another Child: Our children need adult supervision to feel safe and be safe.
• Cell Phones: Unsupervised connection to the outside world is ill advised and it will often be misused.  Be forewarned.
• Internet: All children are curious.   The Internet can expose children to experimentation, running away, learning about the seedier side of life too early, and connecting with strangers--peers and adults who avoid real relationships, create false romances, and lure children into trouble and danger.
• Video Games, Fantasy, and Violence: Fantasy can be just as consuming as violence when it is spiced up with pixels, fast, bright colors, bells and whistles. This form of entertainment can cause habituated avoidance and addictive behavior. The brain can be over stimulated, even when your child looks dialed into “duh” mode.
• TV: Disney shows have extremely poor role models for our children to emulate.  Our kids are good mimics because they often have weak parental imprints.  Trying on mouthy Disney cartoon voices or teen affectation is not healthy, and once done it is excruciatingly difficult for parents to undo.

Just because other kids do, doesn't mean ours can.

If they insist, it's okay to steadfastly say no with an explanation.  They will be mad, mad, mad at you. Hold firm. You are the adult in the room.

If they wanted to try a little shot of heroin, you would say no in the face of their wrath, right?

Love matters,

Ce

P.S. Check out the Love Matters Parenting Society membership for more support.