What are some tips for parents who want to take an active role in their teen’s recovery from addictive disease?
September 28, 2009

Part 4 of facing your teen’s addiction Here are some tips: Start a conversation by asking open-ended questions. Open-ended questions… cannot be answered “yes” or “no” allow your child to give spontaneous and honest answers—she should tell her story in her own words usually begin with: “Tell me about…” “Describe…” “To what extent…” “What was that like?” “Help me understand…” Affirm his worth, courage and challenges....

What are the emotional challenges that parents will face when their teen is recovering from an addictive disease?
September 26, 2009

 Part 3 of facing your teen’s addiction Substance abuse hinders emotional development in teens. This is due to the psychoactive effects of drugs on the emotional center (limbic system) in the brain. All drugs of abuse change how this part of the brain functions. Teens learn that using drugs and alcohol will quickly change their mood. When a teen is bored, smoking marijuana makes the time pass. When they feel depressed, alcohol or cocaine works wonders—for a while. We become emotionally...

What are the social challenges that parents will face when their teen is recovering from an addictive disease?
September 25, 2009

Part 2 of facing your teen’s addiction One of the indications of addiction is the extent to which one’s life becomes organized around using drugs or alcohol. For addicted teens, there is almost always a well-defined sub-culture of friends, associates, parties, and rituals that becomes the center of their social life. Healthy activities that used to capture their imagination such as sports and academics soon become secondary to the “party” culture.” Helping teens find a new, drug-free...

How Parents can take an active role in their teen’s recovery from addictive disease?
September 24, 2009

Part 1 of facing your teen’s addiction During illness, good parents instinctively attend to their children’s needs and provide an ample supply of love and comfort. As the child recovers, family life quickly returns to normal. Unfortunately, it’s not the same when a teen becomes addicted to drugs or alcohol. Drug and alcohol dependence are chronic, debilitating disorders where recovery is possible, but a cure is not. Some addicted teens require prolonged treatment or multiple stints in treatment...

The first five years of a child’s life
September 22, 2009

By Glenda Anderson The first five years are critical in a child’s overall development.  Within this time frame, a child can embrace one of two realities:  he/she grows up experiencing love and security and trust in his parents or he/she is not held and nurtured... he/she is placed in the arms of strangers who are not connected to him/her... his/her family is torn apart by rancor, insecurity, turmoil, abuse, alcoholism, divorce... he/she lives with step-parents in whom he/she feels no bond...

Does my child have ADHD and are there different types?
September 21, 2009

ADHD is the most common neurobiological disorder in children. Just why the prevalence of ADHD has increased in the last 30 years is unclear. Certainly the world in which children live today is faster paced with countless distractions and stimulations that did not exist 30 years ago. I agree that ADHD is often misdiagnosed, but that does not mean that it isn't real--it is, and children who have ADHD suffer tremendously. Without proper diagnosis and treatment, children with ADHD are at increased risk...

When parental correction is necessary
September 17, 2009

By Paul Anderson The lady had briskly left her seat about midway in the center section of the church pews and had taken her nine year old son by the hand and removed him from his seat on the front row. At first I thought her action meant on the spot punishment for the boy or at best his longest reprieve would be until she got him out the front door of the church. My assumption concerning the woman's intentions proved to be one hundred percent wrong. Her anger was not directed toward the boy she was now leading...

Parenting When Husband and Wife Disagree
September 15, 2009

By Glenda Anderson In a two-parent family, the father should be the disciplinarian and the mother the nurturer. That is God’s ideal. When a couple divorces, the single mother (often) is forced to assume both roles, which makes it extremely difficult for her. The non-custodial father sometimes does not want to resume this role, reasoning, "I spend so little time with my child anyway...I surely don't want to discipline him/her all the time." Add stepparents to the mix and a child's natural...

What Is A Home? | Paul Anderson Family Ministries
September 10, 2009

Excerpts from Home: Society's Pacemaker by Paul Anderson I hope you agree with me that the home is the most influential institution on earth.  If it is indeed this important, I feel we should go into the real definition of a home.  We could very well say family instead of home. To better emphasize what we are discussing, let us call it an immediate family or family circle.  This better explains the definition of home.  To some a family could include many close relatives other than the mother,...

Do you know what is affecting your children? Trends Youth Are Facing
September 9, 2009

A long time ago, I was a stockbroker. In those days, I constantly paid attention to various fundamentals and influences on the market. Why…because it was critical to my ability to invest my clients’ assets into the proper investments and answer questions that they might have. Beyond that, I recognized there were a lot of influences on the market and to do a good job, I had to know what was going on to meet my clients’ varying needs.    Is it possible to stay ahead of trends youth today...