Patrick Ward, PhD » parents

Managing the Media in Your Home

Patrick Ward — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:06:26 +0000

What would your life be like if television, the internet, and computers suddenly didn’t work any more? The amount of uneasiness you have in reaction to that question is a good indicator of how influential electronic media is in your life. Most of us remember the days when there was no Internet and the television offered about 12 channels. What is more, we had to get up and change the television channels manually! Now there are so many media and entertainment options so easily available, it feels overwhelming. In fact, it seems as if the American family home is inundated by media overexposure. Continue

Traits of Healthy Families – Part 4

Patrick Ward — Sat, 12 May 2007 20:49:05 +0000

This is the fourth installment of a series exploring 15 traits of healthy families, identified by Dolores Curran as vital to family success. Traits nine through 12 will be covered in this column. The four traits we’ll examine this month all have to do with boundaries. In every family, there are physical and relational boundaries. Healthy families are those that; 9) share responsibilities, 10) have a sense of right and wrong, 11) respect the privacy of one another, and 12) admit to and seek help with problems. These traits have to do with boundaries between family members, the boundaries of what is morally acceptable, and the boundary between the family and the larger community. Continue

The Challenge of Raising Boys

Patrick Ward — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 20:59:05 +0000

How would you describe boys, in general? I asked several people and they described boys as hyperactive, “heathens”, accident prone, ill-behaved, and boisterous. The typical boy craves adventure and action, longs to feel powerful, and these cravings and urges often get them in trouble. Growing up isn’t easy for boys (or girls). While all children face many of the same challenges to successful development, there are several problems that are gender-specific. This month’s column will highlight some issues for boys in particular, and give some helpful advice to parents of boys. In my counseling practice, I often recommend two books to parents of boys; “Raising Cain” by Dan Kindlon and Michael Thompson, and “Bringing up Boys” by James Dobson. Much of the information I discuss today comes from these books. Continue

Use Consequences to Improve Your Child’s Behavior

Patrick Ward — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 21:04:56 +0000

Well-disciplined children become well-disciplined and responsible adults. A great method for instilling responsibility and discipline in your children is to use natural and logical consequences. Natural consequences are results of actions that happen as expected. For example, when you eat too much you feel sick and have an upset stomach, when you stay up too late you are sleepy the next day, etc. We learn a great deal from simply understanding that actions have certain predictable consequences. Children learn valuable lessons from experiencing the consequences of their choices. For instance, my 5 year old son is learning that when he leaves his toys outside they can get ruined or stolen. He’s learning to take care of his things. If I always pick up after him he won’t learn how to be responsible with his things. Continue