I recently posted a question to the moms in A Heart For All Students Private Facebook Community. 

"It's Saturday!  Another school week in the books.  What do you hope will be different next week and how can we help?"

One of our moms replied with this:

"We finally decided to do family photos after like 5 years. Scheduled them several weeks ago for Saturday & ...my daughter got sick.  We had to cancel. The best part is, the only place she’s been to pick something up is the doctor’s office a week ago.  Sometimes I have no idea why I try."

That one hit me like a ton of bricks.  Sometimes I have no idea why I try.

The reason it hit me so hard was because I had this exact narrative in my own head just a few days prior.    If you're new to the show, you may not know that A Heart For All Students was born out of years my own mom burnout.  The adoption of my son & the ensuing years of absolute chaos, stress & isolation led to the mission.

"To equip moms to empower outside-the-box kids to thrive as the people God has created them to be."

Kids who don't fit the box of the world's expectations often struggle terribly in the traditional systems of parenting, education and even within the church.  This may look like:

• Meltdowns (physical and emotional)
• Rages
• Volatile behavior
• Inattention 
• Poor academic performace
• Bullying
• Shaming by adults who see behavior as always willful
• Self-shame & more...

When you're the mom of a child struggling, your heart breaks daily.  Fighting for the right supports, for others to show compassion for your child.  The doctor's appointments, interventions (speech & occupational therapy), tutoring, late-nights reading everything you can to help your child.

Physical exhaustion of it all.  Then add a child who struggles w sleep every single night for 6 years. True story. 

Mom burnout is real.  If you have a child w special needs such as ADHD, Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, Anxiety, dyslexia, etc... it's even more so.   But we still try.  We still bother.  Because we LOVE our kids fiercely.  Even though we know deep down that there is a high likelihood that it'll all fall apart, we still bother.

My thoughts on why we should even bother.  What God spoke to my heart just a few days before I read from Sweet Kara of AHFAS tribe of moms. 

Be encouraged, Friend.  Mom Burnout is real & it's imporant that we openly aknowledge our pains & struggles.  Our needs matter.  If we pretend they don't, we end up stuffing them deep down until we explode & then we're no good for anyone.

In today's episode, I'll address the topic of motherhood & shame.  I discuss shame's role in our mom burnout and how we must fight against it.   We take those shameful thoughts captive to Christ and then we teach our children to do so as well. 

So, "Why do we even bother?"   We bother because we love our kids and families so fiercely.  And sometimes, it's the bothering that's the whole point.  

Sign up for the FREE Devotional & Teaching Series & learn about executive functioning, behavior & a Gospel-based way to parent differently so our kids thrive!  

These days it every mom has had some experience teaching their kids at home.  As millions of families were thrown into remote learning for the first time, many felt like they were drowning. 

Whether you are a seasoned homeschool mom, or if you are teaching your children at home for the first time, you know it's not an easy feat.  A HUGE issue so many homeschool moms face when teaching their kids is engagement.

If you have a preschooler, a kiddo in kindergarten or if you are teaching any resistant child, no doubt you've had to be creative to get your student to want to learn.

Often, teaching younger students can often feel like stapling jello to a wall.

Part of the problem is that many parents believe homeschool life is supposed to look like traditional school except at home.   

And often, this is where the resistance to learning comes into play.

Get excited, Momma, because here's something to get excited about!

Homeschooling  is not supposed to look like school at home!!  This is a good thing because that means you have more power than you think!  :)

In this episode, I will offer some reasons why younger children and even older students hate learning.  I'll tell you what you can do to change that in your homeschool. 

I specifically discuss one simple strategy that I use to engage my 6 year-old son in learning.   (Hint... I use it with my older children as well as myself.  It works for all people as a strategy to help us all overcome the obstacle of having to do that which we really don't want to do.)

Whether you have a preschooler or a high schooler, the general principle behind this technique can be implemented for all learners. 

Stop beating your momma head up against the wall, and try this homeschool teaching tip to engage your child in learning! 

To read more:  Teaching Tips For Preschoolers (Hint... Works for Adults Too)

For More Support & To Learn About God's Design of The Brain, Executive Functioning, Behavior and all the things... check out our Resource Library! 

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-30/

“My kid started kicking me as I was trying just to get him up and ready for Transitional Kindergarten today.  Brutal morning!!”

Yep… in this week’s episode of the podcast I share w you a situation that happened with me and my boy last year. That day, I ended up sharing w the moms in AHFAS private Facebook community about that really hard morning w my kid.  

Let’s just be real…  we’ve all had crappy mornings w our kids.  Some of us may have more crappy mornings than others.   

When you take that deep breath to gird yourself up for wake up time.  Some of you may know that feeling when you prepare yourself for one of two options.

It’s either going to be that a choir of angels shines down on you from heaven as your kid has a relatively smooth transition to consciousness.  Or you’re gonna encounter a full-blown attack the moment you dare breathe the words,  “Good  morning, Sweetie.”

Well, let me tell ya… That morning was a doozy… and at the same time, it was a morning of clarity.  Yep.  My son started kicking me as I prepared him to get ready for his morning transitional kindergarten (one more year of preschool before kindergarten in our homeschool). It could’ve gone down in flames from there, but we rebounded.  

I’ll tell you why and how I handled it in today’s episode of the podcast. 

If you have a child with executive functioning issues… whether your child is in preschool or is in high school… If your child tends to be familiar with volatile reactions, listen in and be encouraged.  

You’re not alone and there is a better way to navigate these tough moments.  We don’t have to freak out and project years into the future… we can stay present and respond differently than the world and tradition tells us. 

Listen to the episode and tell me what you think.  How do you navigate those wrong side of the bed mornings?  Sweet momma friend, we’re in this together.

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-28/
 

Who simply loves it when the kids are fighting?!!!!  I know I do! 

Nothing brings this momma more joy than when the oldest is picking on the youngest.  Even better... when the kids are wrestling for the remote control and end up whacking one another with passionate rage and aggression!  Yes!  What a proud and peaceful mom moment!! 

Said NO MOMMA EVER!!

In this episode, I speak specifically to a mom in AHFAS private facebook community.  She is open and honest about losing her ever loving mind with the kids' constant fighting and bickering.

I hear you, Girlfriend, I hear you.  We all hear you. 

Today, we're talking about:

• Mom's frame of mind & reaching out the the Lord for miraculous calm in those moments
• Addressing the root issues behind the tension
• Specific language and verbiage to use in those moments when you want to scream at the kids to 'STOP IT NOW OR I'M GOING TO LOSE MY MIND. WAIT?!!  I JUST DID!!"

All this and I'll offer a specific strategy to end sibling rivalry that I like to call Peacemaker Points.  (While this will likely work up until the age of 12, you can use the general principle of this strategy to end sibling rivalry in older sibling dynamics).

Be encouraged, Momma!  Sibling rivalry is no fun, but remember that these relationships are to be a blessing to our children as they learn how to navigate conflict.  God has chosen these kids to be the sibling of the others and I believe wholeheartedly that He is in this 100% with them.

In the end, it's really not only on Mom to solve these issues.  We just get to participate at some level.  We won't be able to fix it always.  And that is ok, Friend.

For more encouragement and mom support as we navigate the messy of parenting, register for the 5 Day Devotional Series For The Exhausted Mom. Check out the first module right away!

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-27/

Related Post: 

5 Life-Changing Tips for Parenting a Strong-Willed Child

Jessica asks, "My kid is so disobedient!  He's so strong-willed and will not obey.  Help!  What do I do?"

In today's episode, I will speak to an amazing momma, who knows what it's like to parent a more strong-willed or determined child.  I love Jessica because she is so authentic and real as a momma.  Her openness about her struggles with her child allows other moms to come out of the shadows to really hash through some of the hard and messy of motherhood.  Thank you, Girlfriend!!

In answering Jessica's question about her son, I discuss my experiences with my oldest daughter when she was younger.  My girl was a tough cookie back in the day and I employed traditional, authoritative Christian parenting strategies with her. 

And it worked.  Kind of.  I was able to get my kid to zip it, and behave outwardly in a way that me me "look and feel good" about myself.  But was it the best approach?  Did it serve my child in the long run to learn that her outward behavior was the most important thing to me?

I'm not so sure.  Being totally real here, Friend. 

If we want to get our kids to obey, we often need to start by looking at ourselves.  Relationship changes everything.  Listen up and be encouraged as I offer my suggestions and tips so that we moms can best equip our strong-willed kids to thrive.

Today we discuss all things parenting, discipline and most importantly, we discuss the reality that we mommas have a lot of garbage rolling through our heads.  Often we carry a lof of unhealthy burden that stems from beliefs and ideas of motherhood that are often left unchecked in the church and in our culture.

Let's talk about it today and chew on some different tactics that allow parents to better influence their kids' heart, beliefs and, ultimately, their behavior.  I discuss this in my book, Behind the Behaviors, as well as in the FREE 5 Day Video Teaching Devotional Series for the exhausted momma. 

Related Post: 

5 Life-Changing Tips for Parenting a Strong-Willed Child

Are you homeschooling a child with ADHD?  Does your kiddo hate all things school?  Chores?  Sitting still?  Ha!  Don’t be discouraged.  ADHD can be an incredible gift!!

Regardless, whether you are a new or veteran homeschool mom, harnessing the attention of the ADHD brain can be a challenge. You know the signs:

• Trouble paying attention to non-preferred activities (think math, reading, chores… whatever is not interesting)
• Can’t sit still,
• Difficulty taking turns,
• Trouble making transitions,
• A bedroom that is always messy no matter how many times it has been organized…

You get the idea.

Insisting on the traditional school-based approach in our homeschools only sets up our kids (and moms) to fail.  Mom becomes frustrated with her inability to teach her child.  Academic growth stalls while frustrations and tensions between child and mom grow.

The good thing is that ADHD is often not the problem!  It’s our adult expectations that’s the issue.  When we adjust our expectations to see the abilities and strengths of the ADHD brain, we can harness its genius!

Listen to this week’s episode full of ideas to best harness the power of your child’s ADHD brain.  My sweet friend, Alicia Mathews, a pediatric Occupational Therapist offered some of her favorite OT strategies to use to support optimal learning for our ADHD kids.

Get excited and have some fun this week as you try out these simple, but powerful tips in your homeschool! 

And get this… these strategies work for ALL.THE.THINGS… behavior, chores and to simply allow your child to thrive in so many ways. 

Listen in and be encouraged!  Comment below with your favorite ways to teach your ADHD kiddo at home!   We’re in this together!!

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-25

“My son screams bloody-murder to get our attention.  He interrupts constantly.  What do I do?”

Do you have a child who is constantly interrupting?

Screams in frustration when he can’t get his words out?

I speak to this issue in this week’s episode of the podcast.

1 - Speech & language processing & delays
2 - Sensory processing as a whole,
3 - ADHD (including Adult ADHD)
4 - How to guide our kids (and ourselves) through some of the toughest moments.

Remember, Friend, behavior is information.

Be encouraged.  There is so much behind the behavior. 

Let’s rally around our kids and support them with the tools and strategies they need to thrive.

Be encouraged!  There’s hope!

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-24/

When the world tells us that our kids’ “poor” behaviors are always WILLFUL we can end up so frustrated when traditional ways of discipline don’t work.

So many of us are great at becoming “offended” when our kids behave “badly.”  This happens because deep down, we believe that our value comes from our children’s outward behavior.

Girlfriends, this is such a lie and it’s killing us moms and it’s destroying our kids who don’t fall in line with the world’s expectations!

Mommas are always asking me what to do about their kids whose default response is RAGE.  When our kids become ANGRY at the slightest hint of correction.  

Within the church community, we moms have an extra level of pressure because we are continually reminded that ANGER is SIN.  Therefore, we mommas had better nip that in the bud.  Ugh!  Such a life-sucking belief that destroys.

So many of our kids are struggling not because they are intentionally trying to be ugly, but because THEY NEED HELP.  And when we moms continue to push harder with the same old rewards and consequences mentality, we often only make things so much worse.

In this week’s episode, I discuss the challenges and pain (I’ve been there, Girls) of having a raging, destructive child.  I share what I’ve learned and why we must approach these kids differently.

Be encouraged!  There’s hope!

For more information, post transcript and time stamps visit:  https://aheartforallstudents.com/aheart-23/

Hello High Fivers!

In today's episode, I talk about a cool training I went to and some key takeaways.  We also touch on ASL and organizations we dig.

Links
Michelle Garcia Winner: https://www.socialthinking.com
Music to help brain function: https://advancedbrain.com
Story telling: http://writeoutloudsd.com
Eileen: https://eileenthedeafdog.tumblr.com/post/185415111968/how-do-you-train-a-deaf-dog

If you have good news or know of business/organization doing awesome things, let us know on Instagram at: @HighFiveARoo

Check out our adventures on IG or send us show ideas at
@HighFiveARoo
@HighFiveToThatPod

“Understanding that this (diagnosis of special needs) is hard for all parents, and saying ‘I want to help kids, but I want to help parents, too’.”
~ Eve Margol, MEd

Join The OHMazing® Way podcast creator, producer and host, Beth Reese, PhD, E-RYT, RCYT, and Eve Margol, MEd, in a conversation about not just accepting, supporting, and loving her first son who was born with cerebral palsy, but also how the journey transformed her career and strengthened her marriage and family.

“I want to help you because somebody helped me. That was the beginning of my journey.”
~ Eve Margol, MEd

In the first half of the podcast, Eve takes us back to Cole’s diagnosis as she remembers struggling with the sheer volume of therapists and the different jargon, and how those moments moved her to create a career as a successful special education teacher and consultant. In the second half of the podcast, Eve shares practical transition tools that parents and teachers can implement right away and often! Eve discusses some of the work she does with her consulting company, LinkEducation Resources, including Executive Functioning, Whole Brain Child techniques and strategies, as well as Non-medicated strategies for children and adults with ADHD.

Tried and true transition tools for parents and teachers:
~ Eye Contact through whole body listening: Thank you for thinking of me, I am thinking of you. Body is turned toward me and thus I know you are listening even if you are not looking at me.
~ Group plan: What’s the plan to transition from A to B.
~ Hand hat: Eyes up and hands up.

“And i think for some people it can break a marriage, but for my husband and I really brought us together.” ~Eve Margol, MEd

Eve Margol, MEd, is an educator and owner of LinkEducation Resources which offers consultation services, training and educational therapies to meet the individual needs of students and the teams that support them in Maryland and beyond. Eve’s guiding philosophy is to create a specialized learning environment that offers differentiated instruction designed to help students learn. Eve works with groups with Professional Developments in Executive Functioning, Whole Brain Child techniques and strategies, as well as Non-medicated strategies for children and adults with ADHD.

Connect with Eve:
FB: @LinkEducationResources
IG: LinkEducationresources
Twitter: @linkeducationR
Tele: 240-644-4648
Email: eve@linked-education.com
website: www.linked-education.com

Connect with Beth:
Email: elizabeth@yoginos.com
Web: www.yoginos.com
Cell: +1 361 563 7448
Facebook: personal: www.facebook.com/elizreese
Facebook: Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®: www.facebook.com/yoginos/
Instagram: yoginosyogaforyouth: www.instagram.com/yoginosyogaforyouth
Twitter: @yoginos: twitter.com/Yoginos
LinkedIn: Beth Reese, PhD

Elementary educator Jessica Brock explains project/inquiry-based learning and discusses how it is an engaging and effective teaching method for children who learn differently.

Definitions of Terms:
Pragmatic language, also referred to as social communication, is the rules of how we use language, these often change within different social situations.  *There are three main skill areas of pragmatic language: 1. Using language for a variety of purposes (asking, telling, greeting) 2. Changing language to fit the listener (speaking differently at home vs. work) 3. Following rules of conversation and storytelling (turn taking, topic maintenance). 

Executive functioning includes the ability to focus, remember, plan, think critically, shift ideas and juggle multiple tasks. It is an umbrella term used to describe the mental abilities (or cognitive processes) necessary for flexible, goal-oriented behavior and self-control.

The Parish School groups students of varying ages and developmental levels into classes. For your reference, the following elementary levels are referenced in this episode: Primary Elementary (Ages 5 – 7 years), Lower Elementary (Ages 7 – 9 years), and Upper Elementary (Ages 9 – 11 years).

Related Articles:

• “Teaching 21st Century Skills Through Inquiry/Project-Based Learning”
• “Inquiry/Project-Based Learning at The Parish School”