Video games. That’s right, my adopted stepson seems to be addicted to video games. What was once a harmless pass time, has become an all consuming, life squishing addiction. While addiction does run in his biological history, we were more concerned with educating him on the dangers of drugs and alcohol, never in our wildest dreams would we have thought that sitting in his room, on his computer would become a danger to him.

With so much of his childhood being unstable and chaotic, my adopted stepson has had a lot of control issues. He grew up feeling... more

Many times when we have been dealing with a child whom has been exhibiting difficult behaviors our views of that child can become tainted with the frustration that is felt over their behaviors. We begin to see the child as bad, instead of the behavior. It becomes the child whom is the problem instead of the problem behaviors in which he or she has been demonstrating.

Once this shift in view begins to take place, it can become extremely difficult for parents to allow the child new chances to prove him or herself to the parent, as the... more

The following is an excerpt from Safe Children and Healthy Families Are a Shared Responsibility: 2006 Community Resource Packet — Download packet (PDF,53 pp,743 kb)

All parents struggle with some of the things their children do. While there is no magic formula that will work in all situations, it is helpful to understand the kinds of issues that impact a child's behavior. If you understand these issues and know what... more

Emotionally damaged children are extremely hard to parent. They do everything in their power to cause pain, annoyance, and anger to anyone who tries to show them love. Too scared to accept the ideas of love and trust, the child pushes everyone who cares about him or her away, as far away as possible.

Emotionally damaged children are very good at finding out what people’s buttons are, and then doing whatever it takes to make all those buttons go off. Every once and a while they will settle down, and start to act as though progress has been made, but only long enough... more

Abandoned children have a lot of anger and confusion built up inside over being left behind, sometimes suddenly, by a birth parent. Often times they do not get a goodbye, and are too young to truly understand the extent of the circumstances around the abandonment entirely. This anger and confusion builds up over time, until it begins to spill out, slowly at first, and then picking up speed until the child is spinning out of control emotionally. Appearing just fine and normal on the outside, they are a complete and utter wreck inside, not able to see a way out for themselves.... more