Tag Archives: guns

The Winchester Mystery House

I always love a good ghost story and there are few better than that of the Winchester Mystery House. In case you haven’t heard about it, here’s the story: William Wirt Winchester took over a firm in 1857 that made the Volcanic Repeater, a rifle. Shortly thereafter, he developed the Henry rife, the first true repeating rifle. His company prospered and he soon renamed it the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. In 1862, after his company had become successful, he married the lovely Sarah Pardee. Unfortunately, the Winchester’s good fortune was short lived. In 1866, Sarah gave birth to a daughter, … Continue reading →

Could a Peer Tutor Help My Daughter with ADHD?

Today, ahem, was Sunni’s parent-teacher conference. “Sunni” is my twelve-year-old daughter with ADHD. She did not want to come to her conference, but I insisted. As is typical of her, she would rather have hid, or busied herself with babysitting. Sunni is extremely shy and hates “facing the music.” But her turn came, and we sat down across from her teacher. I squeezed myself into a child-size seat too small for my poor derriere, and Sunni sat sideways, turning symbolically away from the confrontation. Inconsistency and Inattention “As I mentioned on the phone, she’s missing a lot of assignments. And … Continue reading →

Teaching Children Relationship Boundaries

As my son enters his teenage years, I have become more concerned about his vulnerabilities. Twice I have learned of incidents where classmates coaxed him into inappropriate behaviors at school. I’ve also dealt with a stepdaughter who would climb into visitors’ laps, hugging them until they were uncomfortable. So I have wondered, how can I teach my children relationship boundaries, to protect them from people who would take advantage of them? This is important information for any child. I found an excellent way to teach this, through the idea of Circles, devised by Marklyn P. Champagne and Leslie W. Walker-Hirsch. … Continue reading →

Early Test for Autism

Scientists are moving closer to developing a blood test to detect autism early in life—possibly even at birth. Autism is often not diagnosed until a child is three to four years of age, when the characteristic behavior pattern becomes more apparent. Identifying the condition earlier creates an opportunity for researchers to better understand the condition, but also encourages the development of treatments that might reduce the severity of the symptoms. In time, it is hoped that biomarkers for the condition will be developed for use during pregnancy, although this aspect of the research is still in the pipeline. Meanwhile, the … Continue reading →

Are You a Helicopter Parent?

Envision a helicopter, full of supplies. Imagine it dipping and swooping, hovering over a soldier on the battlefield. If the solider forgets something important, it drops the necessary item. If the soldier is in trouble, it swoops him up and rescues him. If the soldier is facing difficult combat, it dives in and destroys the enemy on site. A handy asset for any soldier, right? Not if the soldier is a child, and the helicopter is her parent. That’s because children need to experience the natural consequences of their actions. If you hover over your child, rescuing her from consequences, … Continue reading →

ADHD and that Dreaded Teacher Phone Call

I have two stepdaughters who struggle quite seriously with ADHD. Both girls take a medication called Adderall, which helps, mostly with the hyperactivity. The older of the two is a sweet, gentle girl with beautiful long hair the color of the sunset. So for the purposes of this post I will call her “Sunni.” I want to protect her privacy, as she is a twelve-year-old nearly entering middle school who is tremendously shy and private. The Phone Call Today Sunni’s teacher phoned. She said, “We are having more problems with Sunni’s attention in class.” She then dropped a bomb, and … Continue reading →

What is AD/HD?

ADD or ADHD; Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is a condition resulting in symptoms of inability to maintain attention, impulsive behaviors and/or motor restlessness according to the ADD organization. What does this exactly mean? Ask yourself some questions: • Whenever you are sitting at your desk in the classroom, do ever feel the need to get up, walk around, and sit back down? • Do you find that you are fighting yourself to stay seated for long periods of time? • Do you have trouble focusing on the task at hand? • … Continue reading →

Boys & Guns

I have boys. A lot of boys. I am a girl. A girly-girl. I like dolls and make-up and doing hair and nails. I’m not just a girly-girl, I’m a pacifist girly-girl! I’m a boy-child’s worst nightmare! So of course, I was blessed with many boys. I believed in nurture over nature with all of my heart. When I had my boys I knew that they would not be bound by conventional gender restrictions during their play. I bought dollhouse, baby dolls, and play kitchens. One thing I did not buy was guns. Guns – the ultimate Boy Toy – … Continue reading →

Why is my child doing THAT? Understanding Misbehavior

A couple of weeks ago, my nine-year-old stepdaughter opened a can of paint that was in the back of a utility cabinet, and spread it all over our guest bathroom. When my husband and I asked her why, she only shrugged. Not too many days prior to this incident, she took a black permanent marker and scribbled all over our television, covering everything but the screen. Remember, this is a nine-year-old. She has done some very peculiar things that are humorous now in retrospect, but were extremely aggravating in the moment. For example, she took a hedge clipper and chopped … Continue reading →

Family Gun Safety

Guns used for protection can be very useful in defending you and your family from intruders. Many families own one or more guns for protection or hunting. Unfortunately, kids are very curious creatures. In this aspect, guns can have the potential to harm them more than protect them. They might not be aware of the real dangers a gun can pose. Also, death or a horrible injury can seem impossible to a child. They often feel as though they are resilient and sometimes even invincible. The first step to family gun safety is getting the curiosity about the weapon out … Continue reading →