Messages By: mrsmedic

I just wandered through that website and it's really awesome. "we can do anything for 15 minutes" ... turns out I'm a flylady and didn't even know it since I HATE housework but I figure taking 15 minutes in the morning and again 3 other times of the day isn't so hard. If I had to spend a full hour doing something I don't like, I'd likely just keep putting it off.  

Thanks for this resource :) and welcome 

    I think that these women should try being a single mom of 2 kids and have to work clean the house drive everyone where they need to go take the kids to school and go to work and do that for 4 straight years and then we can talk about being tired!!! 

17 month old babies aren't bullies.  

They have so few ways to express themselves that biting (which gets an immediate and overwhelming reaction) is a very effective way to get attention. This is also a time of teething which keeps constant attention on their mouths. Your baby feels no pain when he bites and he gets a big payback.  

When your little one bites his brother, try saying NO, handing him an icy rag to chew on (or whatever his favourite teething implement is), place him in a confined area (high chair or playpen) and then turn all your attention on his older brother. He's being a very responsible sibling by not hitting back and he deserves to be cuddled at this time but most importantly, it will show the li'l one that when he bites his brother, he doesn't get the attention, it goes to his brother. 

I would also be very careful about labelling your boys in your own mind at this time. Your 3 year old isn't a crybaby because he already understands that his brother is a baby and he's been hurt so crying is a good response. The 17 month old isn't a bully, he just doesn't have the tools to express himself yet. It's a phase that passes if the children who bite and hit don't get any kind of positive reinforcement or a great deal of attention for having done it. 

Both your li'l ones are still far from being verbal enough to be able to do more than hit or cry but I promise you it'll get much better soon. :) The biting is common until about 2 1/2 and your 3 year old will soon be able to communicate his hurt and his brother will soon be able to understand it.  

All of the children over the years I dealt with, who were disciplined by spanking behaved  

like the people's above. I found it made permanent wild children. The parents would criticize  

others for having better sense while theirs became meaner and they would blame their behavior    

on treating them to well, to protect violence's reputation. So I don't assume children are treated  

nonviolently if they misbehave.  

Hi,  

I too have a son who is 13, ADD and just diagnosed with Cyclothymic Disorder - I'm not too sure what that is but I guess from what I understand it is like "pre-bipolar".... We were all so frustrated with middle school last year that I attempted to homeschool my son for the last three months of the year. I found a wonderful book "Homeschooling your child for free" It was jam packed with great websites and other useful information. Check it our at your local library!  

I wish you the best with homeschooling.  

CAdreamin  

Well, I am hopeschooling my two boys this year. We started in the summer. We do 1/2 days 6 days a week and then our Sunday lesson. Both of my boys are Bi-Polar/ADHD etc. There are days we do a page and stop for 15 minutes. It depends on their activity and attention. After we move I am hoping to put them in a gymnastics or martial arts. I want them to have the activity and contact. 

I am willing to take any advice. I just ordered Switched On Schoolhouse which are used in the ADHD/Bi-Polar schools I looked into. There are tons of free items on-line. SM MacLeod 

 I homeschool my daughters, well just one this year cause my 16 year old graduated this past June after six years of homeschooling. Our 11 year old will be homeschooled this year, we start homeschooling from 5th grade on,cause I don't like the class size for the uppper grades and I always find out that my girls can't do basic math. 

 Our 11 year old daughter is ADHD with violent tendencies,not on medication cause when she is allowed to be a child,she is fine also with positive behavior modifications she has learned to control herself. 

  We use Sonlight ...just the catalog for great book recommendations, many free resources,cause I don't care for "box curriculum" as I don't like the structure and the amount of time that it requires. I have a friend who uses ABEKA video and to me that is just like being in a classroom,but she isn't planning on homeschooling through highschool. 

  Sounds like you are doing what you have found that works best for you and that is most important. We are starting the Monday after Labor Day,and following a Christian School's Calendar in our area, that doesn't take alot of days off. 

  Having outside activities is great,just don't get yourself to stretched cause that will cause burnout and such. 

Shari